ARNOLD’S X-FACTOR PLAYERS JOIN SQUAD
AUSTRALIA’S next generation of football talent has been given the nod to start the Socceroos path to the 2022 World Cup.
Coach Graham Arnold has picked 12 players with 10 caps or less in his 23-man squad for the opening qualifier against Kuwait on September 10.
One of those is attacking midfielder Brandon Borrello, long earmarked as a future star for the national team. The 24-year-old ruptured his ACL last year before joining German Bundesliga side Freiburg from Kaiserslautern.
It meant Borrello missed January’s Asian Cup but after finally debuting for the Socceroos in June’s 1-0 friendly defeat to South Korea, he’s one of the new faces that Arnold is hoping will take Australia to Qatar in three years.
“Brandon Borrello is really exciting for me. He’s doing great in the Bundesliga at the moment. I spoke to him just the other day, he feels great,” Arnold said.
“He’s got a great mindset of hard work and these type of players in the front half of the pitch … the players we’re getting coming through have that X-factor to change games, it’s exciting.
“The fact that he can play anywhere across the frontline is important.”
Arnold said Borrello’s versatility meshed well with an attacking philosophy which also sees Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil, Adam Taggart, Apostolos Giannou, Jamie Maclaren and Craig Goodwin capable of filling multiple roles. Along with Borrello, Hollandbased Ajdin Hrustic and goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne are the other onecap players in the squad.
Scottish-born defender Harry Souttar is the only player who could potentially debut in Kuwait.
The squad is composed primarily of European-based players, with only three A-League names picked in Redmayne, Sydney FC teammate Rhyan Grant and Melbourne City striker Maclaren.
In-form striker Taggart leads the scoring charts in South Korea’s K-League.
Newly-signed Melbourne Victory pair Robbie Kruse and Andrew Nabbout have been overlooked, with Kruse (hamstring) unavailable due to injury and Nabbout yet to find form with the A-League not starting until October.
Other notable absentees are Celtic pair Tom Rogic and Daniel Arzani, who are both yet to feature for the Hoops this season.
The squad will gather in a training camp in the United Arab Emirates in the week before the qualifying opener against Kuwait.