The Socceroo midfielder made just four appearances for the Chinese Super League side after joining them from Brighton last September, but has made a perfect start to his second year in Shanghai.

The Red Eagles kicked off their campaign last Thursday with a dominant 6 – 1 demolition over Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Mooy playing 78 minutes in the centre of the park as Shanghai totally dominated their opposition.

It took less than 60 seconds for the former Western Sydney and Melbourne City man to make his presence felt in his second outing, setting up Ricardo Lopes opener less than a minute after kick off. Mooy had two shots on goal and created another chance as he enjoyed a full 90 minutes, but he was unable to build on his early assist.

Despite what the score line suggests, Beijing dominated Shanghai across the park, maintaining 68% possession as they created more chances and took more than double the amount of shots, but stopper Junling Yan was in impervious form, making six saves to limit Beijing to just the one goal.

Expectations are high at Shanghai Port as they look to lift their first title in 2018, and Mooy is seen as a star name in a talented squad that features the likes of former Chelsea star Oscar, and Stoke and West Ham maverick Marko Arnautovic.

The Socceroo will face a tough time as he comes up against a whole host of foreign imports and former global stars including Moussa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini and former Barca man Paulinho.

Shanghai’s next hurdle comes in the form of local rivals Shanghai Shenhua, who they face off against next Wednesday.