3 minute read

Melbourne Victory A-League forward Andrew Nabbout is intent on pushing his case for Socceroos selection as the the new domestic season approaches.

Melbourne Victory forward Andrew Nabbout says he's ready to push his case for Socceroos selection in the new A-League season.

Nabbout was left out of Graham Arnold's squad to face Nepal, with the Socceroos' boss keen to maintain a similar team to the one who beat Kuwait in their opening World Cup qualifier.

"Arnie gave me a call last week and basically said he was taking the same squad as the Kuwait game, which I understood," Nabbout said on Saturday.

"We're still in pre-season, not much of us have a lot of game time under our belt and the European boys have been playing every week which makes sense - you want to take the strongest squad possible to these games.

"And at the end of the day, he's the boss, and that's his decision and I'm ready for whenever I do get that call."

Nabbout said he simply needed to score and create goals at Victory to get back in the national team frame.

"You've just got to score goals - play regular football and score goals.

"I'm happy to play anywhere across the front line, so whether he (Arnold) wants me on the wing or up front, I don't mind," he said.

"It's good that I'm versatile and I'm able to play in those positions so whenever he needs me ... I'm ready for the call up.

Nabbout previously played for Victory from 2013 to 2015 but was a fringe player then.

After plying his trade in Malaysia, a breakthrough A-League stint at Newcastle Jets saw Nabbout earn a move to J1 League side Urawa Red Diamonds, along with a Socceroos call-up in 2018.

Nabbout said he was keen to make an impact in his second stint at Victory.

"Having the experiences that I've had ... going to Russia (World Cup), playing in the Asian Cup and playing in Japan for two years, it's matured me a lot as a player," he said.

"Obviously you're forced to develop in countries like that because the standard's really high, so I've come back a much better player and I'm looking to bring that into this team."