Nicolas Milanovic among seven uncapped players in national training squad, but Adrian Segecic misses out
A mix of young and experienced players will gather in the UAE next week for a training camp under Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.
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Aberdeen-bound Nicolas Milanovic has edged closer to a Socceroos debut after being named in a 23-man training squad that will gather in the United Arab Emirates from Monday ahead of Australia’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Attacking weapon Milanovic – whose move to the Scottish Premiership from the Western Sydney Wanderers was confirmed on Thursday night – is one of seven uncapped players in the squad, the others being Max Balard, Nectarios Triantis, Paul Okon-Engstler, Jack Iredale, Paul Izzo and Thomas Glover.
However, a glaring omission is the A-League’s joint Golden Boot winner Adrian Segecic, whose season finished two weeks ago after Sydney FC failed to qualify for the finals series.
Segecic and Adelaide United’s Archie Goodwin shared this season’s Golden Boot with 13 goals each, but Goodwin’s hopes of being named in the training squad were ruined by a hamstring injury.
The squad does include fit-again midfielders Riley McGree and Connor Metcalfe, as well as A-League players Brandon Borrello, Alex Gersbach, Adam Taggart and Anthony Caceres.
The majority of the chosen players will arrive at the camp, which runs until May 30, while others will arrive later after the completion of their domestic seasons.
The Socceroos squad for the matches against Japan (June 5, Perth) and Saudi Arabia (June 11 AEST, Jeddah) will be named towards the end of the camp and could include players – including Western United star Noah Botic and Switzerland-based former A-League prodigy Nestory Irankunda – not selected for the camp due to their club commitments this month.
“There are a lot of players who are currently in-season with their clubs, and we’ll be monitoring them closely over the coming weeks,” Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said.
“We’ve got players finishing up their seasons at a range of different times, so it’s important they remain physically and mentally sharp in the weeks leading up to the final squad selection.
“I’m looking forward to the chance to work together for an extended period. I’m very grateful to Football Australia for their support with this training camp which is invaluable for the players and staff ahead of our games in June.”
Training camp squad: Keanu Baccus (Mansfield Town, England), Max Balard (NAC Breda, Netherlands), Brandon Borrello (Western Sydney Wanderers), Martin Boyle (Hibernian, Scotland), Cameron Burgess (Ipswich Town, England), Anthony Caceres (Sydney FC), Jason Davidson (Panserraikos, Greece), Milos Degenek (TSC Backa Topola, Serbia), Joe Gauci (Aston Villa, England), Alex Gersbach (Western Sydney Wanderers), Thomas Glover (Middlesbrough, England), Jack Iredale (Hibernian, Scotland), Paul Izzo (Randers, Denmark), Riley McGree (Middlesbrough, England), Connor Metcalfe (St Pauli, Germany), Nicolas Milanovic (Aberdeen, Scotland), Lewis Miller (Hibernian, Scotland), Paul Okon-Engstler, Benfica, Portugal), Mat Ryan (Lens, France), Ryan Strain (Dundee United, Scotland), Adam Taggart (Perth Glory), Nectarios Triantis (Hibernian, Scotland), Kusini Yengi (Unattached).
Originally published as Nicolas Milanovic among seven uncapped players in national training squad, but Adrian Segecic misses out
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