Brett Holman has retired from international football two weeks out from coach Ange Postecoglou naming the Socceroos squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The 30-year-old was vague in his reasoning of the decision, however his comments suggested the hiring of Postecoglou factored into the equation.
“Over the past six months, circumstances have led me to re-think my international career and I have made the difficult decision to step aside from my role with the Socceroos,” Holman said.
“It has been a great honour and privilege to play for Australia, and to represent one’s country is every footballer’s dream
“I am proud of my achievements and I take with me many happy memories of my time with the national team.”
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Currently playing for Al Nasr in the UAE, the 30-year-old is just two years removed from the English Premier League and featured 63 times in the Australian line-up, scoring nine goals and two at the 2010 World Cup. He played in all three games in South Africa and kicked a special goal to help Australia to a 2-1 win over Serbia in the group stage.
Holman was not part of the Socceroos squad that played against Costa Rica last November and was a late inclusion, but did not play, against Ecuador in March.
The former Aston Villa and Feyenoord midfielder may have not been a high priority for Postecoglou since taking over the role from Holger Osieck, however the timing of his retirement is odd considering the number of injuries currently impacting the Socceroos, including Tom Rogic and the World Cup loss of Robbie Kruse.
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