Central Coast Mariners’ Garang Kuol has been called-up for the World Cup at only 18 years old, regardless of not starting a single professional game in his green football career.

Kuol, alongside team-mate Jason Cummings, were two of many unexpected inclusions in Graham Arnold’s squad of 26 flying to Qatar. Both were impressive as an attacking duo for the Mariners in the A-League Men’s round, as well as individuals and as an attacking duo in the opening rounds of the

They headline an unexpected mix of evolving talent and established stars, with 11 of the 26 players having ten caps or fewer, it was reported in the ABC.

Scotland-based midfielders Keanu Baccus and Cameron Devlin are in that new cohort, both having made only one appearance each for the Socceroos.

But they have played regular minutes for their clubs lately and worked under Arnold with the Under-23s side at the Tokyo Olympics.

They will join fellow call-ups Thomas Deng, Nathaniel Atkinson, Joel King, Riley McGree, Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, and the ageing Mitchell Duke.

Arnold said it was a tough decision when talking to med.

“I’ve had to make a lot of phone calls and, at the end of the day, phone calls that disappoint people, which is very difficult.

“But I’d rather look at the positives. Look at this group of young players that we’re taking to the World Cup.

“I do feel that, if there is a legacy, that is the young kids coming through. When I took over in 2018, it was an ageing squad. I was thinking, ‘where am I going to take this? Where am I going to get these players? We’re losing players like Jedinak and Cahill and Milligan, how am I going to replace them?’

“That’s why I did the Olympic team. When you do that, you build that trust and belief in these kids,” it was reported on the ABC.

A total of 17 players will be going to their first World Cup. Arnold conceded he has taken risks in choosing certain players, especially centre-back pairing Rowles and Souttar who have just returned to the pitch following long injury spells.

Arnold wants to deploy positional versatility against France, Tunisia, and Denmark also played a role in some of his decisions.

Fresh faces in the squad left no room for experienced players such as, Cerezo Osaka striker Adam Taggart, who played in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and veteran centre-back and Arnold’s son-in-law Trent Sainsbury.

Tom Rogic has been left out of the squad after missing the Socceroos’ final qualification phase, including the play-off games against the UAE and Peru, and who hasn’t received many minutes at club level since moving to West Brom in England’s Championship.

Other A-League Men call-ups include Adelaide United’s Craig Goodwin and Melbourne City duo Mathew Leckie and Jamie Maclaren, will join more established players like Aziz Behich, Martin Boyle, Milos Degenek, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Awer Mabil, Aaron Mooy, and Bailey Wright in the final squad.

While the Kuol-Cummings double-act has been received well by fans and may provide needed spark to the Socceroos’ attack, the other decisions made by Arnold have been widely questioned.

The exclusion of goalkeeper Mitch Langerak surprised fans given Arnold himself persuaded the Japan-based gloveman out of retirement following consecutive impressive seasons with Nagoya Grampus in the J1 League.

Langerak, who was voted Nagoya’s MVP this season, kept 14 clean sheets in 33 games and played more minutes than any other Australian goalkeeper, including Socceroos skipper Mat Ryan and his two chosen deputies, Central Coast’s Danny Vukovic and Sydney FC’s Andrew Redmayne.

Arnold said in John Crawley is a “great goalkeeper.”

“I’ve got to trust that process of John Crawley. I trusted John when we played Peru with that substitution that changed [everything].

“Mitch is a fantastic guy, a fantastic goalkeeper, and bringing him back was around what happens if something happened to one of the other goalkeepers?”

19-year-old rising Roma star Christian Volpato, a dual Australian-Italian citizen was approached by Arnold over the last few days with an offer to be part of the Qatar squad but turned it down.

Recent call-ups who also missed the final cut include Toulouse midfielder Denis Genreau, defenders Ryan Strain and Harrison Delbridge, St Pauli’s Connor Metcalfe, and Melbourne City winger Marco Tilio.