Ahmad Elrich calls for younger brother Tarek to stay in A-League

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Ahmad Elrich says he would rather see his younger brother Tarek remain in the A-League for at least another season.

22-year old Tarek enjoyed a fantastic season with Newcastle Jets, playing mainly at right-back and is considering a move overseas to further his career.

Ahmad spent two seasons with Fulham in the English Premier League but could not manage many first team matches before he went on loan to Norwegian club FC Lyn Oslo and knows how tough it is to crack the big time in Europe.

"In my opinion Tarek has been the most consistent right-back in the A-League. He didn't suffer from that so-called second season syndrome," he told 442.

"He's asked me what I think (about a move overseas). For me, I think he should stay here for at least another year and build his reputation even further.

"I think he's probably ready to go overseas now but if he puts in another good year next season then it will help him become a player that overseas club will want to put in their team rather than add to their squad, if you see what I mean.

"I don't want to see him go overseas and then find himself playing reserve football. Look at the young guys who have gone overseas in the last year or so. How many of them are actually playing?

"I can't think of many.

“Going abroad as someone a coach sees as a first team player is also going to be a big plus when it comes to the Socceroos as well.

"People talk about the money you could make but I think it should be about the football at his age. If you keep performing week in and week out, then you don't need to go chasing the money. The money will come to you."