Al Nasr midfielder Brett Holman is refusing to give up on his World Cup dream, insisting he will do whatever it takes to convince new Australia coach Ange Postecoglou he is worth a place in his squad.
Holman was an integral member of the Socceroos side that reached this summer’s tournament in Brazil, starting 11 games and scoring three goals in qualification. However, his decision to move to the Blue Wave from English Premier League club Aston Villa last summer has brought his involvement next June and July into question.
Postecoglou took over Australia in the wake of heavy defeats to Brazil and France last autumn, and in his only selection to date left out all Gulf-based players bar Al Gharafa’s former Nasr midfielder Mark Bresciano.
Holman admits he has had “zero” contact with the new regime, but says he is enjoying life in Dubai.
“Obviously it plays on your mind but the new manager’s come in and picked a new side that I wasn’t selected in,” the 69-times capped midfielder said when asked if he feared missing out on a second World Cup finals appearance.
“But obviously it’s still in the back of your mind because I played [most of] the qualifiers to make it to the World Cup and I’m going to do everything in my power to get selected.
“If that doesn’t happen so be it, I’m happy here and really excited about what the future brings with Al Nasr.”
The former AZ Alkmaar man’s last international cap came in September in the 6-0 away defeat to Brazil that led to the sacking of Postecoglou’s predecessor, Holger Osieck.
The midfielder is by no means the only UAE-based player who risks missing out. Al Ain forward Alex Brosque also scored three goals in qualifying but was left out for the game against Costa Rica last November alongside Holman, and Al Wahda defender Dino Djulbic.
Meanwhile, Holman revealed Monday night’s 2-0 win over Bani Yas in Abu Dhabi had given his team-mates a “massive” lift following a dreadful January that saw them lose three straight Arabian Gulf League games and crash out of the President’s Cup in the semifinals.
“These sort of games can help you in your run into the end of the season,” he added. “Everybody was pumped up after the game and just excited we got our three points.”
