Jamie Maclaren returns for Melbourne City to face Brisbane Roar

Melbourne City coach Erick Mombaerts will welcome back Jamie Maclaren but has been left frustrated by Olyroos call-ups.

Jamie Maclaren is available for Melbourne City again after recovering from a hamstring injury. Picture: Getty Images

Melbourne City coach Erick Mombaerts will welcome back Jamie Maclaren this week but has been left frustrated by Olyroos call-ups depleting the A-League leaders’ squad.

Maclaren returns for Sunday’s trip to Brisbane after missing two games with a hamstring injury but in-form midfielder Connor Metcalfe, forward Ramy Najjarine and reserve goalkeeper Tom Glover have been called up for the Olyroos’ trip to China.

City have been one of the most proactive teams in the competition this season in regards to developing youth, with Metcalfe the shining light of those tested.

“It’s always a situation I’m not happy with,” Mombaerts said on Friday. “We want to develop young players but they are not with us – so it’s crazy, for me it’s a crazy situation, it’s a crazy situation.

“How can we develop young players if they can’t play A-League games because they are with the national team?

“So they need to find a solution to continue like that because it’s not a good way.”

Mombaerts queried the decision to leave young playmaker Denis Genreau out of the Olyroos after he had previously been called up in other squads.

“I’m thinking about how we can use young players because it’s not normal also for Denis Genreau,” Mombaerts said.

“(Is) Denis Genreau an international player or not? It’s not good also for the confidence of the player.

“I was a national coach before so I know the job but … I think it’s not a normal situation – it’s not normal to fight against your club or your national team.”

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Mombaerts said he hoped to see Maclaren feature against the Roar but it would depend on how the striker pulled up from training.

“We have two trainings before the game so let’s see if Macca is getting better physically,” he said.

“He is getting better but we have made an intense session just before the day off so we’ll see this morning how he feels. But I’m confident.”

Mombaerts said he would prefer Maclaren to start against Brisbane, rather than coming off the bench.

“It’s just about the sensation of the player. It’s better for me that he starts,” he said.

“Because he prepares mentally to start and with a good warm-up, it’s better for me – but we’ll see with the player.”

Meanwhile, Central Coast coach Alen Stajcic has warned his team against getting burned by Riley McGree for a second time this summer.

The Mariners will look to bounce back from a last-start defeat when they host an in-form Adelaide side in Gosford on Saturday.

“We’re playing our arch nemesis from earlier this year,” Stajcic said on Friday. It was McGree who broke the Mariners’ hearts with a stoppage-time winner in their FFA Cup quarter-final clash just over a month ago.

The 21-year-old enters the clash in hot form, with four goals in his past three games – two of them resulting in wins for the fifth-placed side.

“We got beaten here by McGree as well (in the FFA Cup). He’s just a fantastic player in terms of mobility and forwards runs and positivity,” Stajcic said. “He’d be a welcome addition to any squad. So he’s done wonders for them and he’s got such a great future ahead of him.” However Stajcic urged his team not to overplay their hand against the midfielder.

“He’s just one part of 11 for them. You can’t just focus on McGree and let (James) Troisi go. Troisi’s a fantastic player,” Stajcic said. “You’ve got to have a good defensive structure to nullify the whole team and focusing on one player too much can leave gaps for someone else.”

Both teams will be missing a number of key players away on international duty, including Mariners trio Michael McGlinchey, Kye Rowles and Daniel De Silva. Adelaide are without Al Hassan Toure, but George Blackwood returns from injury.

The eighth-placed Mariners, who have failed to win their past seven against the Reds, can steal fifth spot should results go their way this weekend.

AAP