Socceroos boss: I want Viduka back!

Dec 9 2007 by Neil Farrington, Sunday Sun

NEWLY appointed Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has revealed that persuading Newcastle striker Mark Viduka to extend his international career is his top priority.

In a move that will alarm Sam Allardyce, Verbeek is planning to hold talks with Viduka (right), despite the Toon manager’s preference for the 32-year-old former Australia skipper to retire from international football.

“The European players are also absolutely crucial for us and I want to contact Mark Viduka, for one, because I need to know what his thoughts are,” Verbeek said.

“It’s not about the age of players, it’s about their quality. He has so much of that; I hope he’ll stay involved.”

Verbeek will use A-League players for World Cup qualifiers against Qatar on February 6 and China on March 25.

But he is determined to recall the Socceroos’ big guns against Iraq (June 2 & June 7), Qatar (June 14) and China (June 21).