Brisbane Roar head coach Ruben Zadkovich has heaped praise on teenage defender Lucas Herrington, labelling him as the “best defender in Australian football”.

Zadkovich was speaking at Suncorp as the Roar launched their 2024-25 A-Leagues seasons, with highly-rated academy prospect Herrington in attendance on Thursday.

Herrington is preparing for the Isuzu UTE A-League campaign after the 17-year-old Subway Young Socceroos defender signed a three-year scholarship contract.

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He made his senior debut for the Roar on their recent tour of India for the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy and Zadkovich was glowing in his assessment of Herrington as Brisbane gear up for their Round 1 trip to Isuzu UTE A-League debutants Auckland FC on October 19.

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“Lucas is exactly what I’m speaking about. He is a young man that is respectful, very hard working, very intellectual,” Zadkovich told reporters at Suncorp Stadium.

“Wants to play football the right way. He is an on-the-ball player.

“His ceiling is massive. To shoot straight from the hip, which I like to do, he is the best defender in Australian football right now. For me, he has the highest ceiling of anyone.”

Herrington is one of a number of talented Queenslanders in the Roar’s 2024-25 squad, along with fellow scholarship player Thomas Waddingham, who has attracted interest from across the globe.

Waddingham is coming off a breakout season in Brisbane, where he has enjoyed a meteoric rise after scoring a joint team-high seven goals in 2023-24.

The 19-year-old also became the youngest Australia Cup final scorer since the tournament recommenced in 2014, having found the back of the net for Brisbane in their defeat to Sydney FC in the 2023 decider.

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His exploits last season have seen him linked with Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham in the Premier League, German giants Bayern Munich – who have already prised Nestory Irankunda from Adelaide United – and Serie A’s Udinese among others.

“I feel like with the right development and environment, he has the ability to go to the highest level,” Zadkovich said.

“… Here we put as much pressure and stress on him as we can and see how he copes. Keep him in the deep end with bricks on his feet and struggling to stay afloat.

“We want him to go to the highest level, and he has to handle himself in tough situations. He did that well last year and I have high hopes he can do it again this season.”

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Zadkovich added: “I’m sure he wants to play overseas like all aspiring Australian footballers.

“The key is to go at the right time to the right club because you can find yourself in some deep water over there and you can find yourself back here pretty quickly if you don’t find the right move.

There’s obviously the right move for Tommy and then there’s the right business deal for our club. We’ve had plenty of offers and interest from some of the biggest leagues in the world, but it’s about the right price as well.

“We know what type of asset we have. We know what type of character we have, we know what type of person he is and we know where his ceiling is. That’s the nice thing for us. We’re going to keep developing him and I’m sure he’ll get the move at the right time.”

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Zadkovich, who is gearing up for his first full season at the helm of the Roar, believes Waddingham is “definitely” on a trajectory to represent the Subway Socceroos after feedback from former Australia boss Graham Arnold but warned there is plenty of work ahead.

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“I was at a talent ID game for the U20s in Sydney towards the end of last year when Graham Arnold was still the Socceroos head coach,” Zadkovich recalled.

“Arnie is someone I’ve had a lot of dealings with, so my relationship is strong with him.

“He watched that game and shared some views on Tommy about what a great player we have on our hands, and what a great kid – just the way he handles himself.

“I have no doubt he is definitely on that trajectory but I would say there’s a few higher calibre players like your Adam Taggart’s, who are in front of him and won’t give up their jerseys easily.

“That’s why we’re hard on Tommy and hence the reason we coach him and put him under a lot of pressure because for him to make that next step, he’ll need to keep working hard.”

New Roar signing Ben Halloran, who is back at the club following 11 years away, added: “Ruben is saying that in a ‘supportive dad’ kind of way.

“It’s the right kind of pressure. He’s probably going to be our No.9 this year, and for us to do well he needs to be getting double-digits in goals.

“To go to the next level you need a weapon … and he has that instinct.

“In Australia we love getting really excited about players who are going to be the next Mark Viduka.

“But in this environment, this team, we know when to bring him back down to earth, and he has a good head on his shoulders.”

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