Brattan joined City as a free agent from Brisbane Roar last October and was immediately loaned out to Bolton Wanderers, where he didn’t play a single minute prior returning to the Etihad Stadium and regular training with the academy team.
He was loaned by the English giant, along with Adrian Caceres, to City last week, with Mooy – reputedly on a Premier League wages of around $4 million a season - heading the other way.
In light of Brattan’s career stalling during his eight months in the UK, Dominguez moved to address concerns that Mooy’s rise might just as easily be stymied by lack of senior football, theoretically damaging his Socceroos’ prospects, as was the case for Brattan.
Leaving no doubt that all scenarios had been taken into account and that Mooy, 25, will garner game time on loan, most likely in the Championship, Dominguez said.
“People would be stupid to think that either Aaron or I just jumped after seeing Manchester City’s headlights," he said.
"He could have made more money going to the Middle East or China. He has gone to Manchester City for a specific reason ... there's a very well laid out plan for him, and that will all be revealed very soon.
“In the first season, he will go out loan – the gulf between playing in an A-league game against Wellington and then suddenly showing up on the pitch against Liverpool is an ocean apart.
"He has to bridge that gap by getting himself into a situation where he becomes battle hardened. And he will do that playing regularly on loan."
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While Dominguez acknowledges the parallels with Brattan, he also points out some significant disparities in City’s strategy in signing both Brattan and Caceres – moves seemingly designed to circumvent the A-League salary cap.
“Mooy, unlike Brattan, was already inside the City Football Group family and is just being promoted up the ranks," he said.
"It's a different scenario from Luke Brattan, although of course there are those natural comparisons. Aaron has been signed and is getting paid Premier League wages and it’s a different situation.
“He will go to a club outside the City group … there’s already interest from the Championship, elsewhere in the Premier League and in Continental Europe.
"It has to be the right club, somewhere where he will play regularly. It doesn’t have to be the sexiest club in the Championship, for instance, or the biggest club, rather somewhere where he gets match time.
"There's no point in being somewhere like (newly-relegated) Aston Villa where he might get say 10 games in a season when he could be playing for Brighton and getting 30 games."
Dominguez likens the strategy being employed with Mooy to that of another one-time client, Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak.
“The same happened with Mile when we got him to Crystal Palace when they were in the Championship to get him used to English football," he said.
"The aim was that he would grow with Palace hopefully into the Premier League and that’s the way it worked out. And it worked beautifully.
"There’s a similar plan in play with Aaron … if we can do a year in the Championship or Continental Europe, then by next year we re-evaluate and say 'right are you ready now to have a crack at Man City'?"
There were some great goals last time in Perth, but this from @AaronMooy was surely the pick of them #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/Pkb4V9uzqd — Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 20, 2016
Dominguez is adamant that the move will not put at risk 16-cap Mooy’s place in the Socceroos' pecking order as the qualification journey to Russia 2018 unfolds.
“Playing well for Australia was what caught the attention of Man City and the other clubs in the first place," he added. "And none of that will be jeopardised.
"We have done our homework on the different teams in the Championship, and it has to be somewhere where he will be harnessed effectively by the right coach."
