Perth Glory’s Scott Neville believes he has to step up his work rate even further if he’s to turn his selection for the Australian Under-23 squad into a long-term national career.
Perth Glory’s Scott Neville believes he has to step up his work rate even further if he’s to turn his selection for the Australian Under-23 squad into a long-term national career.
Neville was selected as part of new Qantas Olyroos coach Aurelio Vidmar’s first squad, the 21-year-old due to fly to Sydney for a two-day camp ahead of a Four Nations tournament in Vietnam that starts next Monday with Australia playing North Korea’s Under-23 side.
The Qantas Olyroos will also play Kuwait’s Under-23s and the Vietnamese national team over a five-day period in Hanoi, as Vidmar assesses his players ahead of Asian qualification for the London Olympics beginning next June.
“Playing in Vietnam for your country is obviously a great achievement and something that I’m really looking forward to be doing,” Neville said after being informed on Monday morning.
“I think this is a good chance to express yourself, ’cause next year with qualifying for the Olympics, that’s what you’re obviously aiming to be a part of.”
“If you can get to that (the Olympics), that’s the ultimate goal for Under-23s.”
“So this is kind of like a trial period I guess, if you do well here, it puts you in good stead for playing down the track.”
The son of former Exeter City and Southampton striker Steve Neville, the young defender said he’d love to be returning to his native England representing Australia in two years’ time.
“Obviously I was born in England, to get a free trip home would be unbelievable,” Neville joked.
“To go and see your family and to be playing in an Olympics would be … words can’t even describe how happy I’d be if that came true.”
“But first and foremost, I’ve got to keep working hard.”
“I had a little chat (to my father) about it and he was obviously quite happy for me but he also said it’s the start of something new, so you’ve got to work even harder, you’ve achieved nothing and you just got to keep working hard, which is refreshing.”
Neville’s form and a cracking long-range goal in the opening round against North Queensland has been part of Perth’s best start to a Hyundai A-League campaign.
But, having surrendered their unbeaten record this season to Gold Coast United in a 1-0 result last Sunday, the club will now face two tough away games at Newcastle and Adelaide without Neville and with midfielder Steve McGarry under an injury cloud after taking a heavy knock to the shin.
Having worked his way into a permanent position in the starting XI, Neville knows he’s no guarantee to come straight back into the side after the tournament, especially as his place in the back four will probably be taken by former Blackburn skipper Andy Todd.
“I’m happy to be on the bench or even outside the squad and work hard to earn my position back,” Neville said.
“I think it’s great that we have such a strong squad and people fighting for positions, like Josh Mitchell is an unbelievable player and he played well (against Melbourne Heart) and at the moment he can’t get on the bench.”
“So that just shows how strong our squad is and in two weeks time when I come back, hopefully I just have to fight my way back in and train even harder than I do.”
