Popovic: Alex Robertson 'wants to be there' with the Socceroos
With his recondite absence from the Socceroos ended, coach boss Tony Popovic says that adding a player such as Alex Robertson to his potential World Cup options ‘excites him’.
Injuries and a lack of football may have hampered his return to camp after a two-year absence, but Socceroo boss Tony Popovic says that adding a player such as Alex Robertson to his potential World Cup options ‘excites him’.
A third-generation Socceroo, Robertson was first called up for Australia by Graham Arnold in March of 2023, impressing in his debut against Ecuador — the same game that now-mainstay Aiden O’Neill debuted — before then featuring in a China-staged friendly against Argentina the following June.
That, however, marked the last time the midfielder was seen in green and gold – mentions of the Socceroos disappearing from his social media (since restored) and Popovic adopting the response that he hadn’t made himself available for selection when pressed on Robertson’s absence after he assumed the role last October.This split, though, seemingly thawed last month, when the Cardiff City representative was named in the 25-player squad for friendlies with Canada and the United States as part of Popovic’s efforts to cast the net wide and broaden his talent pool ahead of next year’s World Cup.
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“I don’t know about before, whether he wanted to be [in the Socceroos],” Popovic told media this week. “Now, what I saw was a player who wants to be there. I hadn’t met him before. I hadn’t worked with him previously.”
And while a preseason leg injury, exacerbated by a subsequent hamstring injury, meant that he entered camp without any club football under his belt this season and thus undercooked, the Socceroo boss told media this week that it had been a positive building block.
“We called in Alexander Robertson in the last camp, where he had no football under his belt, but we wanted to see where he’s at because he put his hand up and wants to play for Australia,” said Popovic. “That [split] was before my time. Let’s just deal with now.
“And it was good to see him; he’s a very good player, but well behind the others physically -- well behind because he hasn’t played.
“Something’s changed in him where now he’s constantly on to our conditioning coach. He wants extra programs because he wants to be a part of [the Socceroos]. And then he gets back, and now he’s playing for Cardiff.
“That’s just one story. Whether he will be for the World Cup or not, time will tell. But they’re the type of players that excite me, which gives me a lot of belief moving forward with this team.”
Robertson made his return for League One outfit Cardiff against Bolton last Saturday, starting and playing 77 minutes in the midfield.
This was then followed by an appearance off the bench in an upset win over the Bluebirds Welsh rivals Wrexham – albeit a bench appearance that ended up being 90 minutes as Cardiff knocked the Championship outfit out of the League Cup in extra time.
Of course, with space in the Socceroo midfield already at a premium and only set to become more crowded as Jackson Irvine makes his much-anticipated return from injury, there’s no guarantee that Robertson will be a part of the squad for coming US-based friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia, even with this return to the field.
But after getting a taste of the ‘elite’ environment and demands of the Popovic, the former Manchester City youth product now knows some of the benchmarks needed to be on the plane in 2026.
“The rest is up to him about what happens next,” said the coach. “Every player and every situation is different; some players come in and can really adapt very quickly, and some need some time.
“But the key is that, if they want to play at a World Cup, then they have to understand that the level, their level, needs to be the highest they’ve ever had. And anything short of that will leave you out of the World Cup.”
Also eligible for Peru, Scotland, and England on an international level, the elephant in the room with Robertson was his international eligibility, with Peruvian reports indicating that he was set to receive an invitation to train with La Blanquirroja – who haven’t qualified for the World Cup – last month.
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Perturbation about losing potential dual-internationals has been a common theme of the Australian football zeitgeist in recent years, with Adrian Segečić and Necatrios Triantis, the latter of whom did switch to Greece but has yet to be capped by the Ethniki, who have also missed the World Cup, other notable examples.
There are few indications, however, or at least there are none that have emerged from the tight-ship that is the Poparoos, that the prospect of Robertson switching to Peru played a role in his switch, with the former Golden Generation member reiterating that he won’t sell the shirt to anyone.
“I’m very calm about pdual-internationsl],” Popovic said. “Because I feel if you want to play for Australia, you’ll put your hand up to play for Australia.
“If you need me to beg you to play for Australia, I’m not really sure that that’s the player that we want or that I certainly want in the group. It should be a very simple conversation to put your hand up to play for your country, as it is to coach for your country; it’s wonderful.
“Young people are influenced all the time, through agents and through different people giving them advice.
“Alexander has put his hand up, wants to play for Australia. That’s all that matters to me. And then you come into camp, we have a look to see where you’re at. We now know where he’s at, and he does as well. And that’s just one example.
“But we’re seeing a lot of those examples with young players who have come in. If they want to choose something else, well, then that’s their choice as well, and you have to respect that. I respect it either way, but I’d like to think that we’re trying to create a special environment, and we want players who really want to be there.”
Header Image Credit: Socceroos