Adelaide United Captain Stefan Mauk is looking forward to the prospect of facing ex-Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge when the Reds tackle Perth Glory on Saturday night.
Mauk believed his signing will only benefit in building the Isuzu UTE A-League’s profile.
“It’s massive for the league, he’s probably the biggest name since a (Alessandro) Del Piero,” Mauk said to the media on Monday.
“He’s come at a younger age and if he gets himself right, he’s going to be one of the best players if not the best player in the league.”
The 26-year-old went on to add that he was happy to begin the season on one of the tougher away journeys in the calendar.
“It’s probably the hardest road trip of the year,” he said about travelling to Perth.
“But to do it first up I think is the best and we’re just excited to go.
“It’s a tough first up game. We always have good games against Perth Glory and it’s exciting just to be playing.”
Mauk’s injury interrupted pre-season has been well-documented, having needed surgery to heal a fractured leg which lingered the majority of his 2020/21 campaign.
But the midfielder, who enters his fourth week of full training, is now available for selection and hoping to lead from the front.
“I think the extra-long pre-season has helped me and probably a few of our other players,” he continued.
“It’s been a long time. I’ve had time to refresh and get my leg better and that was the main thing and now I’m just getting up to speed with all the training sessions.
“I won’t be as fit as some of the other players but hopefully after the first two or three rounds I’ll be up there with everybody else.”
Mauk acknowledged the key for a successful season will be down to limiting the number of injuries sustained as a team.
“The teams that always do the best are the ones that have the most consistent starting elevens out there,” he said.
“That’s been a big thing for us this pre-season to make sure that we get really fit and that we’re durable.
“Last pre-season, we had an okay pre-season but compared to this year we’ve got a lot more distance covered, more sessions completed and going into the season with pretty much a full squad is exactly what we wanted.”
Match details:
Saturday, 20 November vs Perth Glory
Isuzu UTE A-League 2021/22 – Round 1
Kick-off 9.35pm ACDT
Venue: HBF Park
Stream: Paramount+
