Australia NewsMillsy's The Man For Beijing |
MARK Milligan couldn’t take the Olyroos to Intercontinental Cup glory in Malaysia but his teammates are convinced he's the best man for the job to lead them into Beijing battle.
Illness robbed the former Sydney FC man of the chance to play in the 2-0 final defeat by Nigeria in the early hours of this morning but with his AWOL punishment now served, it appears to be business as normal.Coach Graham Arnold has admitted the tournament has given him plenty of food for thought over his final squad selection but Milligan doesn’t look to be one of those he has to ponder over with the captain's armband also remaining in his possession.
Midfielder Stuart Musialik, the last player to fall foul of the FFA after going AWOL, told au.fourfourtwo.com: “I think he is the man for the job. He leads the team very well and has been doing so for a long time.”
Striker Nikita Rukavytsya is also a Milligan fan but the Perth Glory striker’s main concern is trying to book his own spot on the plane to China.
The forward said: “Mark is the captain, the leader, and a great player.”
But for Rukavytsya, he is just hoping all his hard work over the last year will pay off.
He said: “There’s not very many spots up for grabs. Everyone has wanted to impress. All you can do is your best, work hard and take your chances when you get them.
“The last 12 months have been crucial for me. The first half of last season didn’t really go for me. In the second half though I got my chance to play as a striker rather than on the left, I scored a few goals and got called into (Olyroo) camp.
“So for me to come in and play and to go to the Olympics would be a dream come true.”
Arnold said: "These players have given me a selection headache for Beijing. Before this tournament I had 12 to 13 penciled in for spots for the Olympics but after this tournament I now only have 4.”
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