Yahoo News 'Desperate' - International manager addresses exile's Leicester City future
Graham Arnold says he has been ‘surprised’ by Harry Souttar’s lack of game-time at Leicester City and has urged the towering centre-back to use next month’s international matches as an opportunity to put himself in the shop window.
Australia manager Arnold has called up the Foxes defender for the matches away to Bangladesh and against Palestine in Perth – games that are effectively dead rubbers and offer the Socceroos little more than the opportunity to improve their FIFA ranking and help their World Cup seeding.
However, there could be more on the line for the 25-year-old who saw precious little game-time under Enzo Maresca, making only four appearances and only one Championship start. Arnold has previously spoken of the need for Souttar, who still has four years left on the deal he signed when he moved from Stoke City in January 2023, for a reported £15million, to find regular first team football.
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He seems a prime candidate to leave the King Power Stadium this summer, assuming City can find someone to take him on.
"What's important is his club future, but with Harry coming with us and playing well it promotes him," Arnold told the West Australian newspaper.
"It shows everyone out there how good he is. I've been surprised by his lack of game time, because we saw what he did against England at Wembley and what he's done for us in the past.
"His club career is very important and he's one of those players that is desperate to get back into camp and play these two games."
Arnold also tried to talk up the significance of the matches with Bangladesh and Palestine: "Winning both of these games we could get into pot one, we are very close with South Korea at the moment. We are a hair behind South Korea.
"There'll be a few selections I'll make to look at the future, but I'll pick a lot of players we've had for a quite a while so we have the consistency to win these two games."
