Borrello fights back to win Socceroos call-up
HAVING been robbed of a likely Cup berth last year after suffering a serious knee injury, former Brisbane Roar attacker Brandon Borrello is closing on a belated Socceroos debut.
With an eye to upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has called up a batch of ALeague performers and foreign-based hopefuls for next month’s friendly in South Korea.
The 23-man squad includes Germany-based Borrello and another four ex-Roar players in striker Adam Taggart, attacking midfielder Dimitri Petratos, defender Matt Jurman and goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.
Regular faces – including skipper Mark Milligan, Mat Ryan, Aaron Mooy, Mat Leckie and Trent Sainsbury – have all been spared the trip after European club campaigns and the mid-season Asian Cup.
The squad also includes Queenslanders Josh Brillante, who won an A-League championship last Sunday with Sydney, and Mitchell Langerak, the Emerald-born gloveman now playing for Japanese club Nagoya Grampus.
Borrello has fought back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in April last year when he was a Kaiserslautern player. His injury didn’t stop German top-flight club Freiburg signing him in July.
“He can play anywhere across the front line. It’ll be great to see him again and see how far he’s developed since he’s been at Freiburg,” Arnold said of Borrello. “I expect great things from him.”