Graham Arnold’s problems just got bigger, as it was announced that Martin Boyle has withdrawn from the team.
The Scottish-born winger was injured during Sunday’s friendly game against Oman and even though he completed the game with no obvious problems, he was eventually transferred to a Dubai medical facility after complaints for pains on his right knee.
After the examination from the scans by the Australian medical team, it was decided that it would be better for the player to return to Scotland where he can receive better treatment.
This injury further adds to the list of problems that Arnold is forced to find solutions to, as after the retirement of Cahill and Jedinak, both of whom where integral parts of the squad, key mid fielders Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic were also made unavailable due to injuries.
Additionally, even though Matthew Leckie has been named in the 23-man squad, his fitness levels remain unknown as he is also recovering from a hamstring injury.
All these issues force the Socceroo manager to turn to other options, such as newly introduced Chris Ikonomidis.
The Greek forward has been on form all season long and it didn’t take him long to show it on Sunday’s friendly, as he got himself on the score sheet just before the 15 minute mark and was a constant threat to the Omani defence.
Ikonomidis admitted recently that the reason behind his solid appearances is the faith that Perth Glory have shown him, giving him a full length contract rather than simply being on loan without knowing where the next season will find him, but also the fact that club manager Tony Popovic has helped him grow as a player.
He also added that his time spent in Italy was the best thing for his career and gave him all the right skills in order to move to the right direction.
Ikonomidis’ name will be very high up on Arnold’s list for the starting eleven for Australia’s opening game against Jordan as they begin their quest to defend their Asian Cup title on Sunday at 10:00 pm.