In an off-season that has seen the A-League lose a number of star players, the competition's boss Greg O'Rourke is praying young Australian star Daniel Arzani stays put.
The past few weeks have seen Adrian Mierzejewski, Bobo and Besart Berisha all depart Australia after securing transfers overseas with Arzani expected to soon join them.
After breaking through last season for Melbourne City, Arzani earned a call-up to the Socceroos and caught the eye as a substitute at the 2018 World Cup.
A move to Europe now seems likely with Manchester City widely tipped to sign the 19-year-old before loaning him out.
While his future appears to be abroad, O'Rourke explained how influential it would be should Arzani remain in the A-League and urged Melbourne City to fight to keep him.
“He only really burst onto the stage, at least at the A-League level, mid-year," O'Rourke told Macquarie Sports Radio.
"It would be great to have another 27-30 weeks of Daniel and, particularly after his World Cup exposure, to have the Australian and New Zealand fans be able to pop out and watch him play locally.
"There's a fine balance between ensuring Daniel has the opportunities the world game bring to him, but at the same time there's a very experienced coaching staff at Melbourne City working with him to make sure he makes the right move at the right time for him."
Melbourne City do however appear to already be preparing for life without Arzani after recruiting more young talent in the form Lachlan Wales and Riley McGree over the past month.
