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Brad Smith chooses Socceroos over England

Roar Guru
21st August, 2014
13

He’s considered one of England’s bright young prospects but Brad Smith has relinquished any chance of playing for the European heavyweights after committing to the Socceroos.

Smith on Wednesday was one of several new inclusions in coach Ange Postecoglou’s 20-man squad for next month’s friendlies against Belgium and Saudi Arabia as the Socceroos begin preparations for next year’s Asian Cup.

Born in Australia to English parents, Smith was eligible to represent either country but, after playing for England at under-17 and under-21 level, the 20-year-old defender has confirmed his allegiance to the green and gold.

Despite already having begun his rise through the English ranks, Postecoglou insists Smith didn’t need any persuading to commit to Australia and said providing another option at left-back was key to his selection.

“I wouldn’t force anyone to play for our country. I don’t think that’s how it goes.

“We’ve had a chat obviously and he’s very keen to represent his country and we want to give him an opportunity to do that.”

Smith, who debuted for English Premier League giants Liverpool last year, went on loan to Swindon Town earlier this month, joining Socceroo Massimo Luongo at the League One outfit.

Paperwork has already been lodged with FIFA to commit Smith to Australia, with Postecoglou hoping the defender will be cleared to play on September 4 against Belgium.

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Smith joins A-League young guns Tomi Juric and Terry Antonis and fellow uncapped players Chris Herd, Trent Sainsbury and Bailey Wright in a squad which features eight players who were not part of the World Cup side in Brazil earlier this year.

Star forward Robbie Kruse is back in the fold after recovering from a serious knee injury but the likes of defenders Rhys Williams (knee), Curtis Good (hip-flexor), Ivan Franjic (knee), Matthew Spiranovic (ankle), playmaker Tom Rogic (groin), midfielder Matt McKay (ankle) and striker Adam Taggart (ankle) have all been sidelined.

“We’re always going to have injuries – that’s the reason we need to create some real depth … so that leading into the Asian Cup, we have some options,” Postecoglou said.

“I felt we didn’t have a lot of options going into the World Cup.

“So with that in mind, we’ve made a number of changes for the upcoming friendlies and given the opportunity to a number of players who haven’t been involved or have been on the periphery to get some game-time and put their case forward.”

Experienced campaigners Mark Bresciano and Josh Kennedy were notable omissions with Postecoglou insisting they’re still in line for later friendlies in October and November.

Postecoglou said he had been monitoring Western Sydney striker Juric, who impressed by scoring in the A-League All Stars match against Juventus and the Wanderers’ 1-0 Asian Champions League victory over Guangzhou Evergrande on Wednesday.

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“With Adam Taggart still out injured, we’re thin up front. We’ve obviously got Timmy Cahill but Tomi’s one we want to have a look at,” Postecoglou said.

With the the lack of experience available, Postecoglou has recalled Carl Valeri who, with 50 appearances, is the second-most capped player in the squad after Cahill.

The Socceroos take on Belgium in Liege and Saudi Arabia in London on September 8.

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