Socceroos coach Graham Arnold says European sides are pressuring young players to prioritise their club over representing their country, as he announced his squad for the crunch World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon.
Parma defender Alessandro Circati was a notable absentee from the squad for Australia’s two games against Lebanon in Parramatta on 21 March and Canberra on 26 March, where two wins would secure their passage to the final round of qualification, and the 20-year-old is looking increasingly likely to also miss important Olympic qualifiers.
