West Australian former Socceroo Richard Garcia and ex-Perth Glory teammate David Williams have praised Daniel Bennie's positive attitude, versatility, and physicality, saying the young attacker has every chance to secure a spot in Australia's World Cup squad.
Bennie is one of three uncapped players in the Socceroos' pre-tournament camp in Florida as coach Tony Popovic evaluates an extended group before naming his 26-man squad for the World Cup, which will be announced next weekend.
Just two years after winning Glory's young player of the season award, Bennie impressed for Championship side Queens Park Rangers (QPR) at the end of this season, earning an invitation from Popovic to compete for a World Cup berth.
Richard Garcia's praise
Former English Premier League winger Richard Garcia, one of six Western Australians to be selected for a World Cup, knew Bennie from Perth Glory's academy and later worked with him as an assistant coach for Australia's under-20s during their Asian Cup and World Cup campaigns last year.
Garcia told The West Australian that Bennie's strong performances in those tournaments and his experience in England would serve him well: "Since going to QPR, he's probably matured as a footballer. You can tell his ambition and drive have increased as well since going over there."
"He's a physical beast; he can run out games really well. He's strong, and he's got an eye for goal, which is always handy. He was pretty good at the under-20 World Cup and the under-20 Asian Cup; particularly the Asian Cup, he really stood out. He suits what Popa wants to do. It's more of a matter of how well he does in the pre-camp and sometimes a little bit of experience helps."
David Williams' comparison
Bennie's former Perth Glory teammate David Williams compared the young attacker to Socceroos great Brett Emerton, a comparison also made by their former Glory coach Alen Stajcic two seasons ago.
"He's fit, right footed on the wing, work ethic is unreal, attitude's great and can score some good goals," Williams told The West Australian.
While Williams was cautious about Bennie's immediate chances of being named in the World Cup squad, he said the 20-year-old's work-rate and maturity meant he had every chance of a long future in the gold jersey.
"He can be professional for 20 years, no doubt about it," Williams said. "He definitely deserves to be on the radar, 100 per cent. Pre-camp could be a reward, but also might be smart by Popa to have him there or thereabouts, based on how well he's doing, and looking at his progression, it could be very important for the Socceroos."
"He is quite mature, and being around men all the time at a young age (at Perth) really helped him. He was just so powerful going forward, and would run and run and run. He never complained, he just had an attitude to work. He was one of those silent assassins where he'd turn up, work hard and run."
Versatility a key asset
Bennie has largely played up front or on the wing for QPR, but also impressed at the under-20 Asian Cup as a right-sided wing-back, where he had licence to bomb forward. Garcia said this versatility could work in his favour when Popovic selects his final squad.
"Anybody with versatility is really handy. When it comes to tournament football, it's something that always helps coaches, because you've got a player that can be in several positions if you have problems in those positions or have injuries," Garcia said.
