Tim Cahill makes initial Socceroos World Cup squad

Coach Bert van Marwijk has named his preliminary World Cup squad, which 38-year-old Cahill had been battling to make.

Socceroos ace Tim Cahill has barely played during his stint at Championship team Millwall. Picture: Getty

Veteran Tim Cahill and 19-year-old Melbourne City young gun Daniel Arzani have been named in Australia’s preliminary 32-man squad for next month’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Arzani, one of the most exciting players in Australian soccer, was today named by coach Bert van Marwijk in a 32-man preliminary squad for the finals next month.

It is a meteoric rise for the attacker, who only forced his way into the Cty line-up midway through the season.

As expected Tim Cahill is among the 32 and is expected to make the final 23-man squad.

Van Marwijk said he wasn’t concerned by the fact Cahill has had little football since January and is currently suspended.

“He can make a difference, he is a player who will not be nervous to play in front of 80,000 people,” van Marwijk told reporters in Sydney.

Australia’s talisman has managed just 63 minutes in 10 games for Championship side Millwall since quitting the A-League to get more playing time.

He had been playing for Melbourne City but left the club in December as he chases a fourth World Cup appearance. He earned a three-game suspension at the London club for elbowing an opponent.

After ignoring Arzani for the Socceroos friendlies in March, van Marwijk said he had made a compelling case for inclusion in the initial squad that will be trimmed to 26 or 27 by May 24 before the Dutchman has to nominate his final 23-man squad a week before the finals kick off.

Daniel Arzani, right, is a bolter in the Socceroos World Cup squad. Picture: AAP

“He did not play so much early so it was difficult to pick him, but now he has been playing regularly and you can see he has something different,” van Marwijk said.

“I have a lot of information on him now and have seen a lot of him myself.

“He has something special and is the type of player who could do something coming off the bench for the last 10 minutes or so.”

One of the surprise choices is unknown Croatian-based defender Fran Karacic, who plays with NK Lokomitva.

He is a right back who has represented Croatia at junior level but is not tied to them.

“He is a right back and as you know we have problems in that area. I have been getting reports from (assistant coach) Ante Milicic who has watched him play several times,” van Marwijk said. “We don’t have too many options in that position.”

Van Marwijk, who will oversee the Socceroos’ cup campaign before handing the reins to Graham Arnold, retained the 26 players from recent friendlies, including established core Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy, Mat Ryan, Mathew Leckie, Robbie Kruse, Massimo Luongo and Tomi Juric.

Striker Jamie McLaren’s recent goalscoring in Scotland won him a recall with goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, Alex Gersbach and Apostolos Giannou other additions Van Marwijk said he would trim the squad to 26 or 27 players in about a week.

The squad will then attend a pre-Cup training camp in Turkey before the final 23-man squad for the World Cup is named on June 9, a week before their tournament-opener against France.

Socceroos provisional squad:

Goalkeepers: Brad Jones, Mitch Langerak, Mat Ryan, Danny Vukovic

Defenders: Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, Alex Gersbach, Matthew Jurman, Fran Karacic, James Meredith, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Aleksandar Susnjar, Bailey Wright

Midfielders: Josh Brillante, Jackson Irvine, Mile Jedinak, Robbie Kruse, Massimo Luongo, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy, Tom Rogic, James Troisi

Forwards: Daniel Arzani, Tim Cahill, Apostolos Giannou, Tomi Juric, Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren, Andrew Nabbout, Dimitri Petratos, Nikita Rukavytsya.

Additional reporting: AAP