Graham Arnold says that he still has to fill up six spots in order to complete the Asian Cup squad. Even though the Socceroos manager has been able to finalise most of the positions, he says that the final few spots will be decided based on the recent performances. Australia go into the Asian Cup looking to defend the title that they won recently. The remaining candidates have time left to impress the manager and cement their position in the squad. It is clear that Arnold will not be making the decision based on reputation and it will be made based on form.

Speaking ahead of the squad announcement, the Australian national team manager said that he has been happy with the display put up by his players in the games against Lebanon and South Korea. He has decided to leave one position vacant in every aspect of the pitch so that players can still show that they are capable of being taken for the Asian Cup. There is a possibility that some of the six spots will include players who did not feature in the recent friendly matches against South Korea, Lebanon, and Kuwait. It is expected that Perth Glory winger Chris Ikonomidis may be in line for a call up, as he has been in excellent form of late.

Manchester United are understood to have earmarked Brighton & Hove Albion’s Mathew Ryan as a probable successor to current goalkeeper David de Gea. The Australia international only joined the Seagulls from Valencia last year but he has since captured the attention of the media with a number of top-notch performances between the sticks.

As such, The Sun reports that United are monitoring the shot-stopper’s developments and they could be tempted to make an approach, should De Gea lean towards an Old Trafford exit. De Gea has been a tremendous servant for the Red Devils over the past seven-and-a-half seasons but there remains a concern regarding his long-term future with the club.

Mile Jedinak has decided to hang up his boots from international football with immediate effect. The Australian captain has been able to enjoy a lot of success with the national team after reaching three World Cup tournaments. The 34-year-old, though, has decided to take this step in order to focus on his club career. The former Sydney United player is capable of playing as a defensive midfielder or at the back. He is currently with Aston Villa after having joined the Midlands outfit in 2016. Regarded as one of the best players for the national team over the last few years, Jedinak has been able to captain the club in 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions of the FIFA World Cup.

He has also been with the national team on two AFC Asian Cups and lead the national team to success in the 2015 edition. After starting out his career with Sydney United, he gained prominence when he made the move the Central Coast Mariners in 2006. From here, the European adventure began forJedinak, who played for the likes ofGençlerbirliği andAntalyaspor before making the high profile switch to Crystal Palace in 2011. The move to the English league worked out well for the defender, who went on to make more than 150 league appearances for Palace during a five-year spell.

Hibernian boss Neil Lennon believes winger Martin Boyle deserves an international call-up with Australia and the exposure would help him develop into a better footballer. The 25-year-old has only represented Scotland at the under-16 level but he has the qualification to represent the Socceroos with his father hailing from Sydney.

Speaking in a press conference, Lennon revealed that Socceroos coach Graham Arnold had a close watch on the attacker during the recent league game against Kilmarnock and hinted that he could receive a maiden call-up for the international friendly against Kuwait next month, he said: “An Australia call-up would be thoroughly merited for Martin.

After Huddersfield managed to stave off the threat of relegation in their debut Premier League season, they had little time to celebrate their achievements. As soon as one campaign finishes, the preparations for the next begin in earnest.

That is exactly what David Wagner would have had to do this summer as he plans for Huddersfield to extend their stay in the English top flight into a third season and beyond. However, that is a feat that is easier said than done.

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has stressed that the club are no longer yearning to offload their key players to balance their financial books. Australian midfielder Mile Jedinak had recently been tipped to leave the Villains being the highest earner with them but Bruce has now indicated that the club are in a better financial position following the change of ownership.

Discussing the rumours surrounding Jedinak, Bruce said: “The one thing that the new owners have said is that nobody is for sale. That's music to my ears. We don't want to lose our best players. We all know in football that unfortunately these things do happen. But we will now be doing our utmost to make sure these things do not happen and not let them go anywhere.”

Football Federation Australia chairman Steven Lowy has paid tribute to Tim Cahill following his decision to retire from international football. The 38-year-old had represented the Socceroos in four World Cups including the most recent one in Russia, where the national team were ousted in the group stage.

Speaking in a news conference, Lowy hailed Cahill as a footballing great in the country and hopes the marksman remains an inspiration for the generations to come, he said: “Tim Cahill is a football great in Australia. As a player and as a person he has had an enormous impact on the game. Tim’s performances on and off the pitch and his feats at FIFA World Cups and AFC Asian Cups have inspired millions across the globe, but it is in Australia, where Tim is a household name.”

Championship outfit Aston Villa are planning to sanction the exit of Mike Jedinak amid his relatively high wages. The Australia international was a key performer for the Villains en route to the Championship play-off final last term but they are now considering his future amid their financial concerns.

According to The Mirror, the west Midlands outfit are planning to part ways with Jedinak, who is one of the top earners at Villa Park. The 33-year-old is presently into the final 12 months of his £50,000-a-week contract and it is suggested that he could be offloaded for a knockdown price with owner Tony Xia concerned about the Financial Fair Play rules.
Jedinak was recently part of the Australia squad at the World Cup where he found the scoresheet on two occasions via the penalty spot but this was not sufficient for them to progress beyond the group stage after securing just a single draw. Nevertheless, there were plenty of positives after a change in management and Jedinak now appears on the cusp of leaving the Villains.

Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy is calling on his Huddersfield Town experience to produce a strong performance against France. The Socceroos are regarded as the underdogs heading into their opening World Cup game versus France but Mooy has refused to dismiss the team’s chances of picking up a positive result.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Mooy talked up his experience with Huddersfield, who picked up a shock win over Manchester United last season. The 27-year-old added that the Socceroos may have to adopt a similar approach on the playing field whereby they have to build up the frustration by restricting Les Bleus from scoring.

Australia international Tom Rogic has clarified that he always had the ambition of committing his future to Celtic. The midfielder was recently linked with a move to Southampton who have signed former Hoops teammates in James Forster, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk but he has now secured a fresh five-year contract with the Scottish champions.

Speaking after his extension, he said: “There was only ever one thought on my mind. I can't control what's going on outside but within my own mind I wanted to stay here. No one had to sell the Celtic vision going forward too much, it sells itself. I've been here five years now so I know certainly what the club is about. I didn't need any more convincing. Obviously over the last couple of years we've been successful and the manager (Brendan Rodgers) has been a big part of that, so I'm excited to be working under him.”