Harry Souttar uncertain about where he will be playing next season after manager’s departure from Leicester City

A key Socceroo is desperate to play regular first-team football again after a season on the outer at his English club.

Socceroo Harry Souttar (centre) is uncertain about his club future. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Socceroos defender Harry Souttar admits his club future is uncertain with Leicester City searching for a new manager following Enzo Maresca’s departure for Chelsea.

Souttar was all but certain to leave Leicester after being on the selection outer in the Foxes’ English Championship-winning season under Maresca.

But with the Italian manager having been poached by Chelsea, and the giant centre-back still having four years to run on his Leicester contract, Souttar’s future seems up in the air, and may be dependent on who the Foxes hire as Maresca’s replacement.

“At club land, I don’t have a manager at the moment,” Souttar said on Sunday in Perth, where the Socceroos are preparing for Tuesday night’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Palestine at HBF Park.

“They (Leicester) are still to make a decision on that … but we’ll cross that bridge (about his future) when we come to it, when we get back to pre-season (training).”

Souttar said regardless of which club he was at next season, it was imperative he started playing regular first-team football again if he wanted to keep his spot in the Socceroos’ best 11.

“It’s pretty simple really – I just need to get back to playing football,” said the 25-year-old Scotland-born Socceroo, who was also sidelined for a large chunk of 2022 after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Harry Souttar is unsure where he will be playing his club football next season. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has told Souttar to “sort out” his club career.

“After his ACL injury and this year, two big years out of football, he’s hardly played,” said Arnold, who admitted Souttar might have been better off if Maresca had have stayed with Leicester in terms of having better clarity about his future

“If the manager had stayed, probably it was clearer what (Souttar’s) decision could have been, but with a new manager coming in, it could be completely different.”

Souttar is no certainty to start against Palestine after playing the entire match in the Socceroos’ 2-0 win over Bangladesh in Dhaka last Thursday.

Arnold has hinted that up to nine changes could be made to Australia’s starting team as part of a pre-planned squad rotation.

There is a strong chance that Cameron Burgess and Alessandro Circati will form the Socceroos’ central-defensive partnership on Tuesday night after neither were used against Bangladesh.

“All over the pitch there are boys challenging for positions,” Souttar said.

“Every day in training it’s ramped up and every single person is wanting to play.

“We’re all friends but everyone’s fighting for that jersey.”