Patrick Brischetto
Wonderkid Nestroy Irankunda has been dropped by Tony Popovic ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The 18-year-old, who is currently playing for German giants Bayern Munich, recently made his debut for the national team, but Western Sydney Wanderers forward Brandon Borrello has been picked over the young star.
It is one of the bigger calls in yet another intriguing squad selection by Popovic, with three players in line to make their debuts for the national team.
19-year-old Hayden Matthews has been selected at the back, with the young defender only beginning his professional career at Sydney FC last season; he is joined by fellow Sydney midfielder Anthony Caceres.
Max Balard has also been picked in the middle of the park, with the former Central Coast Mariners star currently impressing heavily in the Dutch Eredivisie with NAC Breda; local media have dubbed him the ‘Australian Kante’ after the workhorse French midfielder N’golo Kante.
“We’re in the early stages of this journey as a group and we’ll continue to implement the style of play that will be the foundation of our success throughout this cycle,” Popovic said in a statement.
A slew of returning players also feature, with Kusini Yengi, Milos Degenek and Rhyan Grant all returning to the fold after time away from the Socceroos set up.
MORE: Socceroos World Cup qualifiers schedule, results, standings
The first and most important qualifier of the window will be played on Thursday, November 14 in Melbourne against Saudi Arabia, with kick-off at 8:10 p.m. AEDT.
The next game will take place in Bahrain on November 20 at 5:15 a.m. AEDT.
Patrick is a journalist currently based in Sydney who covered the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Women’s World Cup for The Sporting News. He also holds a position at the Western Sydney Wanderers FC, and is slowly attempting to convince the world that the A-League is the greatest sporting competition.

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