Mile Jedinak has been selected in an extended Australia squad despite not being fit to play for Aston Villa.
One thing that really annoys me and probably many other football supporters about the modern game is when professional footballers can be picked by their nation despite not being fit enough to play for their club side.
This isn’t Aston Villa vs Australia. It isn’t a case of club vs country. It is a case of Aston Villa paying his wages and should he not be fit enough to play for the club that pays his wages then he shouldn’t be available to represent his country.
Australia has two very important fixtures against Honduras and the winner will progress to the World Cup Finals. I get how important this is for the Socceroos and this isn’t particularly aimed at Jedinak or his country. It is football in general.
Many players have done similar in the past and I am sure Jedinak won’t be the last either but isn’t it about time that clubs were protected a little more?
Jedinak has only played 46 minutes for Villa this season due to an ongoing injury he picked up at the back end of last season, yes you guessed it, playing for Australia.
Even if it helps with his match fitness he still has to travel to the other side of the world and could potentially pick up another injury, ruling him out of action for even longer.
If you look at it from an Aussie’s point of view then you have to question why they would want a un-fit player playing for them which could risk their progress? Surely its best to get Jedinak fully fit so he is in a position to represent them at the World Cup should they make it?
Jedinak proved to be a very important player last season for Villa and some have called for him to replace Glenn Whelan once he is fit. The Aussie midfielder was named in Sky Sports Top 20 Championship players last season. Villa managed just one victory last year in the 12 matches he missed.
I know, this article and my thoughts won’t make much of a difference but it doesn’t mean I have to agree or like it does it?
I wish Australia the best of luck but I just hope that our midfielder comes out of the two games unscathed.
If any good has come from his absence, it’s that we have learned to win games without him, as we have when Kodjia isn’t scoring freely. That has made a huge difference to our chances of promotion.
[…] Kodjia missed recent games with a knock to his ankle but still reported for international duty with the Ivory Coast – something we have discussed in the past on this website, I.e Jedinak reporting for Australia despite being unfit to play for Villa. […]