So the prospect of going one-on-one with Egypt star Mohamed Salah, if fit after his hamstring strain, and his partner-in-crime Omar Marmoush at the World Cup<\/a> doesn\u2019t faze Herrington, 18, one bit.<\/p>\n Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n Neither does attracting interest from Barcelona \u2014 something that happened before he had even kicked a ball at the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to stay present and really enjoy this moment,\u201d Herrington, now the youngest ever Socceroos World Cup starter, said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my first World Cup, hopefully first of many, but it doesn\u2019t come around very often.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes around every four years, so I\u2019m really just trying to enjoy every moment here, just put my best foot forward, and just work hard and we\u2019ll see what comes after it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brisbane Roar sold their sell-on clause for Herrington to the Rapids for $560,000, according to the Sydney Morning Herald \u2014 a decision that appears set to cost the A-Leagues club millions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll probably be kicking themselves,\u201d teammate Connor Metcalfe said.<\/p>\n Herrington\u2019s unfazed response to life-changing transfer interest reflects the on-field calmness and composure that has his senior teammates in awe.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing really fazes him, he never looks nervous. I\u2019m not nervous when he has the ball,\u201d Metcalfe said.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes if a young player is playing, a lot of the other boys can be nervous they\u2019re going to make a rash decision. But he\u2019s calm on the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Herrington, who laughs when asked if anything makes him nervous, says of his calmness: \u201cIt\u2019s not something that I sort of work on. I think it might just come naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n The 18-year-old has been totally unflappable, including on his dream debut against Paraguay last week, when he shone in a high-stakes encounter he described as \u201cthe best moment of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew how important that game was, not just for us but for the whole country,\u201d Herrington said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo obviously I knew the pressure that was in that game and I knew there was pressure on all of us.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I was looking forward to it. Obviously I\u2019d dreamed of that moment since I was a kid and I just really wanted to embrace it, enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n Herrington still pinches himself that he\u2019s here \u2014 something he couldn\u2019t have foreseen even six months ago.<\/p>\n And if Salah is fit for the Round of 32 clash in Arlington, Texas on Friday (4am Saturday AEST), Herrington hopes that test is coming his way.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to (face) players like that. Really, that\u2019s where you want to be, that\u2019s who you want to (face),\u201d Herrington said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo to be given that opportunity, hopefully, it\u2019ll be special, and I can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Lucas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b5cd0c6686407a31f122d30d5898679b44d3e497.jpg\")
Lucas Herrington has a calm and wise head on his shoulders that the football world is relishing. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n