Graham Arnold confident Alex Robertson's future is green and gold
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold is confident that 20-year-old midfield prodigy Alex Robertson remains committed to the Socceroos.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has lambasted social media speculation that Alex Robertson is on the cusp of switching international allegiances, saying he remains committed to the Socceroos.
Conjecture that Robertson, 20, was to be lost to Australia peaked earlier this week when, in a since-deleted tweet, a social media user observed that he had deleted a series of pictures related to his time with the Socceroos from his Instagram account, as well as liking a reply from a friend referencing Peru.
Making his debut for Australia in a friendly against Ecuador in March of 2023, the midfielder is yet to feature in a competitive fixture in green and gold and not only possesses eligibility to represent La Blanquirroja through his mother but also Scotland and England.
Given his form with Portsmouth, where he is on loan from Manchester City, Robertson was one of the more notable omissions from the Asian Cup squad: regular football at club level and ensuring that he could be a key part of the U23s Paris Olympics campaign prioritized over likely sporadic minutes in Doha by Arnold — with defender Alessandro Circati in a similar boat.
The Socceroos coach, for his part, has never been a fan of social media, saying during the 2022 FIFA World Cup that he tells his players not to listen to “that crap.” So when the speculation over Robertson’s future was brought to him on the eve of his side’s pre-Asian Cup hitout with Bahrain he was somewhat blunt, “You should know not to listen to social media.”
Asked to clarify, he was again brusquely forthright but more definitive, stating “He rang me two days ago, and he told me that he was playing for Australia.”
But while Robertson remains biding his time and developing his game on the English south coast, his teammate at Fratton Park in Kusini Yengi is looking to make the coming Asian Cup one where he cements himself as a regular part of Arnold’s plans.
The former Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers attacker has battled injury in his time in Europe but, when he has played, has been a strong performer for John Mousinho, netting seven goals and two assists across all competitions at an average of a goal involvement roughly every 74 minutes.
And with starting striker Mitch Duke entering this tournament at 32 years old, the soon-to-be 25-year-old Yengi, just months on from making his senior international debut in November World Cup qualifiers, possesses a golden opportunity to establish himself in Arnold’s vision for the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“First and foremost, we're here to do well, and to win it. That's my goal and that's the expectations that I've given to the players and the messaging that I'm driving,” said Arnold. “But some of these potentially older players might not make the next World Cup and this could be the last tournament for a number of them.
“And in that position, we need some variety and some strength. And Yengi, yesterday at training his speed was incredible 35 km/h an hour. He's a big boy and he's doing well. I think he's got a lot more in him.
“He's more of a late developer and you can see that he's getting better and better, stronger and stronger. All that happens back at clubland. He's made that decision to get across from West Sydney Wanderers to Portsmouth, where you play a lot of football, and he's starting to get a lot more football and he’ll only grow as a player.”