The Socceroos have been dealt a major setback, with both winger Martin Boyle and goalkeeper Danny Vukovic sustaining potential long-term injuries.
Boyle is expected to miss out on the remainder of the year with a knee injury – a recurrence of the same issue that ended Boyle’s season last campaign.
The 26-year-old sustained the injury in Hibernian’s Scottish League Cup clash with Elgin City last week.
Despite only making three appearances for the Socceroos, Boyle has scored twice and performed very well against South Korea and Lebanon last year.
Boyle is expected to miss the beginning of Australia’s World Cup qualification campaign, which begins against Kuwait in September.
Vukovic on the other hand could be out for 12 months with an injury to his Achilles.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper will likely be out of action for the Socceroos for the rest of the year, while he will also miss out on Champions League football for his club Genk.
The setback is a blow for Vukovic, who has cemented his place as a regular for his club, helping Genk to their first league title since 2011.
Vukovic has been a standout for his Belgian side since departing Sydney FC at the conclusion of the 2016/17 season, winning Genk’s Player of the Season award in 2018.
