Huddersfield Town midfielder Aaron Mooy has already been showered with compliments from the pundits.
The Australian Socceroos star was a target signing for the Yorkshire club after being an instrumental part of the Championship campaign that saw the Terriers promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history. Mooy was the club record signing at the time when he agreed to sign for a fee of £8 million (more with add ons).
Philip Neville believes that some of the bigger clubs could make a play for the Australian during the January transfer window, however the Terriers may not have much to worry about. The midfielder should be valued at around £16 million if his momentum continues from the first three games of the season, however Mooy will want to guarantee himself matches, whereas moving to a larger club for a bigger salary will not give him that guarantee, he could find himself sitting on the bench, or worse even though he would have more money in his pocket.
The midfielder turned down several Premier League rivals to sign a three year contract with the club he helped gain promotion to the top flight. Had Town not been promoted, it is extremely likely that Mooy would have jumped ship, as he made it clear to the Terriers that he wanted to play Premier League football. When Manchester City put the for sale sign on the 27 year old, West Ham, Southampton, West Bromich Albion and Stoke City all offered bids. However, Mooy chose to stay loyal to the Yorkshire club and returned to the John Smith Stadium.
Evolution & International Duty
Staying loyal to the Terriers is proof to the fans, the coach David Wagner and the owner Dean Hoyle, that Mooy is keen to consolidate and evolve his Premier League football in Yorkshire, rather than rushing for the next career landmark and being a player who does not get game time every week. Manchester City are still watching Mooy and have a buy back clause of £20 million should they choose to try and get in on the action in January, if the midfielder keeps on performing the way he currently has.
The Australians immediate concern will be focussed on the World Cup qualifiers as he attempts to guide the Socceroos to the even in Russia 2018, having recovered from an stomach bug he played in the match against Thailand and helped them one stage closer to qualification, however as Saudia Arabia defeated Japan, the Australians finished third in their group, and will have a play off to try and qualify.
Mooy will be returning to England shortly as the Premier League starts again at the weekend, with the Terriers travelling to the London Stadium to face West Ham, he could well be starting in that match too, as the Yorkshire club try to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.