Maclaren called into Socceroos camp

JAMIE Maclaren is back in World Cup contention after receiving a shock Socceroos call-up as concerns grow about the fitness of fellow striker Tomi Juric.

Maclaren was a surprise omission from Bert van Marwijk’s 26-man squad earlier this month, despite strong lateseason form for his Scottish club Hibernian.

But the former Brisbane Roar star has joined the Australian team in camp in Turkey and now has the chance to put his selection case forward, with usual starter Juric in doubt due to a knee injury.

“Tomi Juric has had a knee issue over the last three weeks which is being monitored by our medical team,” van Marwijk said.

“We hope that Tomi will be able to train and play this week, but his recovery might also take longer.

“That is why we have decided to bring in Jamie Maclaren now so that he also has a fair chance to display his qualities before the final 23-player squad must be announced.”

The Socceroos have until June 4 to nominate their 23man squad for the tournament in Russia. This means Maclaren will have four days of training and one match – Friday’s friendly against the Czech Republic – to prove his worth.

On loan from German second-tier side Darmstadt, Maclaren, 24, scored a hat-trick for Hibernian against Rangers in the final match of the Scottish Premiership season, hours after finding out he had been dumped by the Socceroos.

Juric, meanwhile, hasn’t played in more than a month and missed the last five matches of the season for his Swiss side FC Luzern because of injury.

Juric has scored eight times in 34 appearances for Australia while Maclaren has played five times for the national team but is yet to score.