Jackson Irvine has confirmed he will miss the Socceroos’ final two World Cup qualifiers to undergo foot surgery, placing fresh stress on the depth at Tony Popovic’s disposal.
Irvine backed the Socceroos to get past Japan and Saudi Arabia in crunch qualifiers and seal their passage to next year’s World Cup in North America after writing on social media that he would go under the knife.
“I have complete confidence that both the teams I love can take the final steps towards our ultimate goals,” Irvine posted on Instagram.
“I will be watching and supporting alongside our amazing fans every step until the end.”
The influential Australian midfielder has been sidelined for Bundesliga side St Pauli for the past fortnight with the club sending him for scans, the results indicating an operation was the best course of action for the 32-year-old.
His absence is a blow for St Pauli, who are on the cusp of avoiding relegation from the German top flight with just three games left in the season.
It’s an even bigger concern for Socceroos boss Popovic, whose side hope to beat the already-qualified Japanese in Perth on June 5 and then conquer the Saudis — their closest challengers for the final automatic spot — in Jeddah on June 11 to reach next year’s tournament.
The loss of Irvine comes at a time when the Socceroos are already without defensive leader Harry Souttar and wingback Jordan Bos.
In the midfield specifically, Massimo Luongo has been overlooked due to a lack of game time at Premier League side Ipswich Town, Aiden O’Neill has recently moved to the MLS with New York City, while Irvine’s St Pauli teammate Connor Metcalfe has only just returned from an ankle injury.
AAP
