Six debutants headline fresh-faced Socceroos squad

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has announced six debutants in a rather A-League-heavy squad for their upcoming international against Korea Republic.

Arnold

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold Source: Getty Images

Arnold has favoured youth over experience in his latest squad, with Mat Ryan, Aaron Mooy, Mat Leckie, Massimo Luongo, Robbie Kruse and Trent Sainsbury among a host of regulars omitted.

Instead, A-League-winning duo Andrew Redmayne and Brandon O'Neill have been rewarded for their successful domestic seasons, alongside Melbourne Victory's Lawrence Thomas, Olyroos centre-back Harry Souttar, Rotherham's Ryan Williams and Brandon Borrello of Freiburg.

Only three players form the last Socceroos starting XI have returned to the squad, with Arnold eager to witness Aziz Behich, Chris Ikonomidis and Rhyan Grant in action once more ahead of future FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

"Our World Cup qualification campaign preparations start now. The upcoming camp and friendly international in Korea Republic provides us the opportunity to expose more players to international football, which is vital as we prepare for a long qualification campaign," Arnold said.

"We have seen how arduous the previous World Cup path was for our squad and it is imperative that we spend this valuable time together to have a close look at some of our next generation.

"We have eleven players in this squad who have all had excellent seasons in the domestic competition and my message to those playing in the Hyundai A-League is that if you are playing regularly and consistently for your club, you will come into consideration for the next phase of World Cup qualifiers.

"This international window also gives me the chance to spend an extended time with some of our more experienced players who have recently been missing from international football, but have been playing well for their respective clubs like Matthew Spiranovic, Rhys Williams, Adam Taggart, Bailey Wright, Josh Brillante and Brad Smith."

The Socceroos will face Korea Republic on June 7 in what will be their first competitive fixture since their 2019 Asian Cup campaign in January.

Socceroos squad in full:

Socceroos

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2 min read
Published 23 May 2019 12:49pm
By SBS The World Game
Source: SBS


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