Clubless Socceroos captain Lucas Neill and injured star Tim Cahill will miss next week’s friendly against South Korea, while Harry Kewell is also in doubt.
Coach Pim Verbeek has named Kewell in a 24-man squad for the September 5 encounter in Seoul, but says an ankle injury might sideline him.
Neill and Cahill were not named, with Neill concentrating on efforts to find a new club, while a foot injury has forced Cahill’s omission.
Cahill was the two-goal hero in the national team’s last match a fortnight ago, when the Socceroos downed Ireland 3-0 in Limerick.
The Everton midfielder was sidelined for six months by a foot injury last year, but Verbeek said the latest problem was unrelated and not nearly as serious.
“It’s a totally different injury, at this moment it’s much better to leave him in England because I have enough other players,” Verbeek said.
“He’s okay, but it’s better for those players to stay in England and prepare themselves for the long, long season to go.”
The coach was similarly unperturbed about Neill’s so-far fruitless efforts to find a new playing home.
Verbeek scoffed at suggestions Neill was simply chasing a big pay packet and said in terms of the Socceroos’ preparations for next year’s World Cup, it was far from becoming a problem.
“He’s a transferring player of 31 years old, he’s just waiting for the right moment to sign with the right club for the right deal and I think there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.
“What other people are thinking of his decision, they don’t know what he’s talking about, what are his motivations and I have no worries at all.”
He said Neill was omitted so he could be free to talk to prospective clubs and undergo medical testing.
Kewell’s fitness will also need testing, after he was injured representing his Turkish club Galatasaray last week.
“He got a very nasty kick on his ankle, I was with him on Friday when he had his medical, it didn’t look good,” Verbeek said.
He will possibly play with Galatasaray in a European League game on Thursday and Turkish league match on Sunday, but Verbeek was uncertain what that meant for the Socceroos.
“The staff were confident, Harry was confident, but let’s wait and see what the reaction is when he plays,” he said.
Meanwhile, while no A-League players were included against Ireland, Jason Culina and Shane Stefanutto were brought in to play South Korea, along with Japanese-based striker Josh Kennedy.
Verbeek said other A-League players were in contention, but he did not want to disrupt the domestic competition by removing players not guaranteed to start the game.
Vince Grella returns from injury, with Michael Beauchamp, Mark Milligan and Michael Petkovic the other inclusions.
Verbeek said Kennedy and Scott McDonald were likely to play as dual strikers.
Australian squad: Michael Beauchamp (Aalborg BK, Denmark), Mark Bresciano (Citta di Palermo, Italy), Nick Carle (Crystal Palace, England), David Carney (Sheffield United, England), Ante Covic (Elfsborg, Sweden), Jason Culina (Gold Coast), Vince Grella (Blackburn Rovers, England), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Danny Invincibile (Kilmarnock, Scotland), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor Kulubu, Turkey), Josh Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus, Japan), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray, Turkey), Patrick Kisnorbo (Leeds United, England), Scott McDonald (Celtic, Scotland), Mark Milligan (Shanghai Shenhua, China), Jade North (Incheon United, South Korea) Michael Petkovic (Sivasspor, Turkey), Nikita Rukavytsya (FC Twente, Netherlands), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, England), Matthew Spiranovic (FC Nurnberg, Germany), Shane Stefanutto (North Queensland), Dario Vidosic (FC Nurnberg, Germany), Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough, England), Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo, Moscow).
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