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Socceroos coach Holger Osieck has heaped praise on Brett Holman and believes he should be playing in the German Bundesliga or English Premier League.
Osieck says he was an admirer of 27-year-old Holman – who plays for Dutch table-toppers AZ Alkmaar – before he ever thought of coaching Australia.
That opinion was only reinforced by the attacking midfielder’s man-of-the-match performance for the Socceroos in Tuesday night’s World Cup qualifying win over Oman.
“I think Brett Holman should be in the Bundesliga or Premier League,” said Osieck on Fox Sports.
“He has potential and he has become more and more important for my team.
“I have to admit I liked him from the first minute I saw him – that was the (2010 FIFA) World Cup game in Rustenberg when Australia played Ghana, I liked him.
“I said ‘Oh Jesus, this boy has something’, he really impressed me and at that time I didn’t have any clue that I’d end up here as coach.
“He’s the complete player and that is what I like.”
Holman has flourished under German mentor Osieck’s guidance, playing the role behind the main striker, and he’s been in such good form he’s been picked in the starting 11 in most recent squads.
Holman’s rise has caused some uncertainty for Tim Cahill however, with the Everton star who missed the Socceroos clashes with Malaysia and Oman last week, relegated to the bench for last month’s qualifier against Saudi Arabia in favour of Holman.
But while Osieck feels Holman creates a stronger strike force with the towering Josh Kennedy, he was quick to point out Cahill’s spot in the Socceroos is far from threatened.
“Looking back at the Thailand game (in September), Tim was the first choice. I had a good impression in training and tried them both (Cahill and Kennedy),” Osieck said.
“They just didn’t match together well, so I opted for the Saudi game for the combination of Josh and Brett – and it really worked.
“On the other hand, I want to state very clearly that we should never write Timmy off. He’s still an integral part of our team.
“I explained to him that it was a tactical decision – and that it was a one off.
“A player of his status is never happy to be benched but I had to be honest with him and say that it’s my choice for this particular game and he had to accept it.”
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