Former Australia captain Craig Moore couldn’t believe Ryan Strain wasn’t involved at the World Cup in Qatar. But the Socceroos Hall of Famer is convinced the St Mirren defender will bounce back and play a big part for his country in the future once he’s back in the international fold.
Strain narrowly missing out on joining Buddie Keanu Baccus after being left out of Graham Arnold’s final squad heading for Doha.
While the Aussies upset the odds to qualify from their group and reach the last 16, where they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Argentina, Moore is still adamant 25-year-old Strain should have been a key part of the country’s defence.
Speaking exclusively to Renfrewshire Live Sport from the Gold Coast, former Rangers and Newcastle United defender Moore explained: “When Ryan moved over to St Mirren he was still chasing regular football. His fitness and confidence has since grown every month he’s been there.
“His ability to get forward and get involved in attacks is such a great attribute to have for any team, especially one that doesn’t have a huge number of strikers to rely on. On his form over the last six months I was sure Ryan was going to be on that plane.
“I thought he was our best right back going into the tournament. I think he would have been a real threat to any team we played and it was a real shame he didn’t make it, both for him and Australia.
“Watching those games from home, especially against France and Argentina, will definitely fuel that desire in him to get back in as soon as he possibly can.
“For me there seems to be an opening at right back going forward. If he keeps progressing the way he has been, there’s no reason that right back slot shouldn’t be his.”
Now a football agent, Moore helped persuade Strain and Baccus to make the switch to Paisley from Maccabi Haifa and Western Sydney Wanderers respectively in the summer.
The 46-year-old, who played at two World Cups with Australia, believes the stock of Socceroos has never been higher after they bagged impressive wins against Tunisia and much-fancied Denmark in Qatar to reach the knockout stage for just the second time in their history.
Moore said: “The way the country performed certainly doesn’t do our business any harm at all. People know what the Aussies can do now.
“From my generation, we’ve always had that competitive edge and would always fight for our teammates. That hunger is always there.
“I think that mentality suits Scottish football very well. You have to have that desire to battle in Scotland.
“You see the amount of Australian players that are doing great in Scotland now, guys like Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin and Aziz Behich.
“Australia’s stock is certainly rising in football and I wouldn’t be surprised to see even more clubs looking to sign young Australian talents over the next few years.”
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