Socceroos coach Graham Arnold says Dykes still welcome to play for Australia
Gold Coast-born attacker Lyndon Dykes has been chosen for Scotland after COVID-19 stopped him representing Australia.
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Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has left the door open for Gold Coast-born Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes to play for Australia should he have a change of heart about representing Scotland.
Dykes, who was playing local football in 2016 for Surfers Paradise Apollo before relocating to the UK, has been picked for Scotland for next month’s UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and the Czech Republic.
The selection seems to have ended the lengthy battle between Scotland, the country of Dykes’ parents birth, and Australia for the 24-year-old marksman’s international services.
https://twitter.com/ScotlandNT/status/1298232760646152192
“I’ve never held a grudge against anyone in my life and I never would but we’ve got to wait and see,” Arnold told News Corp Australia.
“If he doesn’t play a minute in these next two games, then he’s still available to play for Australia.
“I just hope that (Scotland coach) Steve Clarke hasn’t bowed to media pressure of just capping him, and then moving on. I spoke to Lyndon about that.”
Arnold talked to Dykes on Tuesday night after the announcement of the Scottish squad.
“The kid should be very proud that he’s got two nations that want him to play for them in Scotland and Australia,” the Socceroos mentor said.
“It was always a conversation of supporting whatever decision he made.
“Unfortunately he’s chosen Scotland, he’s been picked for Scotland and that’s the way it is.”
Dykes this month joined English Championship club QPR from Scottish Premier League side Livingston in a $2.6 million transfer.
“I’m not sure if his decision to play for Scotland was also around his move to QPR,” said Arnold, who added that if not for COVID-19, Dykes would have already played for the Socceroos and been tied to Australia.
“He agreed to be in our squad for March for the (World Cup qualifying) games against Kuwait and Nepal but those games got postponed. He told me that his heart was in it to play for Australia,” Arnold said.
“If not for the coronavirus, he would have been capped for Australia and part of our journey.
It (COVID-19) has given him time to change his decision.
“He would have given us something completely different to what we have in (Jamie) Maclaren, (Apostolos) Giannou, (Adam) Taggart and Mitchell Duke.
“He’s a great kid and he brings a lot of energy to the team. He’s got height, he’s got power but I was never going to put pressure on him.
“The kids don’t need pressure these days, they need support.”
Originally published as Socceroos coach Graham Arnold says Dykes still welcome to play for Australia