Australia boss Graham Arnold says St Mirren duo Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain will need to be fitness fanatics to crack their way into his World Cup squad.
The pair earned dream first caps for the Socceroos in Auckland as second-half substitutes during their recent 2-0 friendly win against rivals New Zealand.
That has given them a real shot at making their way into Australia’s Qatar side, with manager Arnold sending them back to Scotland with a clear message to be fit and in form to stand a chance of making the final 26-man squad for the world’s biggest tournament.
Arnold said: “The most important thing was the boys got out there and they believed in themselves.
“I’m reaching out to Panadol for my new sponsor, because I’m going to have quite a number of headaches to fit in to a 26-man squad.
“But today is not the last day for the players to get chosen. I make that clear, Qatar’s a short lead in of only seven days.
“The boys have to go back to their clubs and they’ve got seven weeks. They’ve got to play and they’ve got to be fit. They’ve got to be probably the fittest they’ve ever been.”
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