Hibs ace World Cup dream latest - overnight sensation Suto's Socceroos chances updated as Popovic names squad
Martin Boyle a stick-on for tournament - but Jack Iredale still pushing for recognition
Hibs ace Ante Suto’s World Cup dream is expected to receive a major boost overnight, with the Easter Road forward tipped to join team-mate Martin Boyle in the Socceroos squad for Australia’s penultimate pre-tournament warm-up games. Aussie boss Tony Popovic is scheduled to name his squad for this month’s FIFA Series games against Cameroon and Curacao around lunchtime tomorrow, Australian time.
Sources Down Under suggest that both Suto and Hibs defender Jack Iredale are being actively considered for call-ups for this summer’s finals in Canada, Mexico and the USA. And Popovic is believed to want a closer look at Suto in training ahead of the double-header scheduled for Sydney on March 27 and Melbourne on March 31, respectively.
Boyle will head to World Cup after Easter Road departure
With just one more friendly – against Mexico in California on May 31 – to follow before they kick off their World Cup campaign in earnest, Popovic is still exploring his options in a number of key positions. While Boyle - who will end his 11-year association with Hibs at the end of the season - is considered by most observers to be a stick-on for the tournament, giving the livewire forward a chance to make amends after missing the last World Cup through injury, Suto and Iredale remain outsiders.
But Popovic recently trailed the idea of Croatian-born attacker Suto earning a first cap for the Socceroos, describing the 25-year-old as an “interesting player”, the Aussie gaffer adding: “To see that he’s adapting well to that (Scottish) league, he’s scoring goals coming off the bench – he’s certainly contributing.
“He’s probably adapted a lot better to that type of football, that intensity (compared to Croatian club football), quicker than I expected.”
Suto, who qualifies for Australia through dad Anthony, born and raised in Melbourne, is still in regular contact with a small army of cousins Down Under. And he’s made it clear that he’d like to throw his lot in with the Socceroos.
Speaking to The Evening News just last month, he revealed: “My father is from Australia. He was born there and lived there for 20-something years.
“Then he came back to Croatia, met my mum and stayed there. He's from Melbourne. So yeah, Melbourne City, Melbourne Knights and all that.
“I have a lot of family also in Australia. My cousins and all that. I'm connected to them.
“We chat almost every day. We have a group on Facebook, on Messenger. We are in touch. We are a big family.”
Iredale wants first cap
The Deadline Day signing only made his first start for Hibs in Saturday’s grim goalless draw at home to Livingston, having scored three goals in five substitute appearances since securing his mid-season move from Slaven Belupo.
Iredale was called up to the Socceroos squad last summer and returned for November’s friendlies against Colombia and Venezuela, although he’s yet to win a first senior cap for his country. The 29-year-old left-sided central defender is still being highly spoken of back home, with a number of respected football figures lobbying for his inclusion in the group heading to the World Cup this summer.