Exclusive: Harry Kewell on ‘surprise’ Ange call, Mooy’s big move and stunning FIFA 23

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So what is it that makes Postecoglou so special?

“I think one, it’s his attitude,” Kewell says. “You know, I’ve always liked to work with people that are good people first and foremost. And that’s what he is – he’s actually a good person.

“And then comes his work attitude, his relentlessness, he wants to be able to be the best all the time, which I love. He’s never satisfied. He wants to keep pushing, not only himself and not only his team, but he wants to push for that next level. And I love being part of that.

“And to be able to kind of sit back – I know it sounds funny – but sitting back and taking it all in and learning. I’m used to talking a lot and running a lot of things, but to be able to take a step back and watch someone else put on training sessions, put on meetings, be able to come up with different ideas, and you’re able to just throw your idea out there. And whether you can challenge him or not, that’s the key for me to be able to learn and, and push myself against the best.”

Postecoglou has forged a reputation for maintaining a cool distance from his players – not uncaring, but coolly professional in order to avoid any bias in his selections.

As he once told Open Goal: “Most people will tell you if we get on a plane they’d shuffle the boarding passes because no-one wants to sit next to me.

“I could sit on a plane, a long-haul for eight hours and not say a word to them and it totally uneases people – particularly players.

“I’ve done it many a time and they hated it. It’s the death seat for them so I don’t think any of the players will they say they got close to the gaffer. I would never sit down and have a cup of coffee with them.”

But Kewell says the custodian isn’t as cold as he’s sometimes made out to be.

Asked about Postecoglou’s personality behind the scenes, Kewell just laughed: “I don’t know how to really answer that one because he’s my boss! So I think he’s, well like I said at the start, he’s a great guy. You know, I’ve had talks with him about football and they’re at length, and then sometimes we just talk like two guys are chatting. That’s usually outside, and I’m not saying that we meet up, but if we’ve got 10 minutes before lunch or after lunch, we’ll just sit and we’ll just have a chat.

“I mean, we had a great chat about the last time we went to Vegas! You know that was 15 years ago for him, and about five years ago for me, but we had gone to see the same show (Cirque du Soleil). So we’re just chatting normal stuff. He’s a warming character.”

Kewell says he “would love” to return to head coaching in the future: “It’s an amazing job … you’re testing yourself and your ideas against all the other good managers out there.”

For now, his complete focus is on Celtic, and what he can offer the players and the team – which, given his breadth of experience, should be plenty.

Like the Champions League: Kewell started but was injured in the first half of Liverpool’s iconic win over Milan in the 2005 final, while he also featured in Liverpool’s defeat in the final two years later.

“In my Champions League experience, I’ve had the very highest and I’ve also had the very lowest,” Kewell says. With their league title last season, Celtic qualified directly for the competition’s group stage this season, with their opponents to be revealed in two weeks.

AARON MOOY – AND THE SOCCEROOS’ WORLD CUP HOPES

A month after Kewell signed on the dotted line at the green half of Glasgow, another big-name Aussie also arrived: Socceroos midfielder Aaron Mooy.

“I didn’t play a role in that transfer,” an excited Kewell says. “But what I will say with Aaron is Celtic have bought a fantastic player, a top professional, he works extremely hard. And even over the last say, week, you can see his class just coming about now. And players are really seeing what Aaron Mooy is really about.

“He looks in great shape. He looks strong, he looks powerful. His movement’s good. His touch is excellent, he’s training very well. So hopefully he can start pushing the team to make them push further.”

Mooy has been used off the bench in Celtic’s first three league games of the season, starting with a handful of minutes in the first two before enjoying nearly half an hour on the park in last weekend’s 5-0 win over Kilmarnock.

With the World Cup less than 100 days away, Kewell says Mooy looms as a crucial member of the Socceroos squad.

“He’s an important player for Australia. You’ve got to remember, he has played at the highest level and his experience in past competitions is going to be priceless for the Australian team. So, you know, it’s important that he does well for Celtic, because if he does well for Celtic then he’s going to be right for the Australian team.

“If he’s not doing right for Celtic – again, it goes for every single player, if you’re not playing well for your club, you’re not going to be playing well for Australia. You can’t think okay, well, I’ve got three or four weeks to warm up for the World Cup. No, you have to be playing well now to be ready for the national team, so when you’re going there, you can just go straight away.”

Besides Mooy, I asked Kewell which Socceroos he believes can have the biggest impact in Qatar.

Kewell replied: “You know what? I’m looking forward honestly – and I know you may turn around and say it’s an easy way to come out of this question, but I never really like to break it down to individuals.

“I think the most successful teams are a team, and I think when we talk about certain individuals or how they can play, I think it’s kind of a disrespectful thing because a team, you know, an individual can win a game, right? But a team will win competitions, and you have to have your team ready.

“And it’s important that whether you’re starting or whether you’re on the bench or whether you just miss out, you’re still part of that group and I think it’s very important that the Australian team do stick together – because it is going to be tough, there’s some amazing teams out there, there’s some amazing players out there. But if we sit there and we work together as a team, we can maybe do something special.”