Key pair closing in on Socceroos recall

Playmaker Ajdin Hrustic and left-back Jordan Bos have taken important steps towards being recalled to the Socceroos squad for next month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Former A-League prodigy Bos, who had been sidelined since injuring his hamstring playing for Westerlo in late July, returned to action off the bench in the Belgian club side’s 2-2 weekend draw with Anderlecht.

Hrustic, who recently joined Italian second division club Salernitana after being excluded from his previous club Hellas Verona’s plans, started for his new club for the first time, playing for the opening 45 minutes in a 3-2 loss to Pisa on Monday morning (AEDT).

Both Hrustic and Bos missed Australia’s 1-0 loss to Bahrain and 0-0 draw with Indonesia earlier this month, but both are likely to be in national coach Graham Arnold’s upcoming selection plans provided they keep playing.

Another player hopeful of a Socceroos recall, midfielder Riley McGree, was included in Middlesbrough’s match-day squad for the English Championship club’s weekend clash with Preston North End after recovering from a foot injury.

However, McGree was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw.

Elsewhere in Europe, Socceroos star Jackson Irvine’s tough start to his German Bundesliga career continued on Monday morning when his St. Pauli side was beaten 3-1 by Augsburg.

Irvine’s injured teammate and fellow Socceroo Connor Metcalfe wasn’t in the St. Pauli squad.

Having won the German second division title last season, the Irvine-captained team has lost its first three games since returning to the top flight.

Meanwhile, potential Socceroos bolters Max Balard and Jacob Italiano continued their good starts to the European seasons.

Former Central Coast Mariners star Balard made his fifth successive start for NAC Breda in the Dutch Eredivisie club’s 1-0 weekend win over Fortuna Sittard.

Wing-back Italiano, 23, started for Austrian top-flight club Grazer AK in its 1-1 draw with Rheindorf Altach.