Cardiff City star told to make decision over future after squad omission

Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson has been told to make a decision over his international future by Australia boss Tony Popovic.

Popovic revealed that Robertson, who has two caps for Australia from friendly matches against Argentina and Ecuador, has made himself unavailable for selection for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Popovic said of Robertson's omission: "Look, that sits in his hands now. If he wants to play for the Socceroos he needs to make himself available.

"It's not an Alex issue, it's an Alex decision on what he wants to do. So if he wants to make himself available for the Socceroos, then we can look at whether we select him. At the moment we don't have that option."

The 21-year-old is eligible to represent Australia through his father, Scotland through birth, Peru through his mother, and England, which has led some to question whether he might be considering switching allegiance.

The young midfielder's international future remains uncertain, with FIFA rules allowing players to switch national teams under certain conditions. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.

When questioned on whether Robertson is prioritising his club career or eyeing a future with another national side, Popovic remarked that it's a matter for the player himself.

"I don't know the exact reasons or what he's thinking at the moment, but I just know that he's not available for selection," Popovic added.

"We've had people that have spoken to him. We understand where he sits at the moment in terms of his decision. He's a young man that's made a decision. We have to respect that decision.

"He's young, trying to make his way in football, he's playing regularly, so we'll keep monitoring him, and we'll see what happens in the future."

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While Robertson has not publicly declared an intent to switch national teams, Popovic would not comment on any potential disappointment if the midfielder opted to play elsewhere. "You have to respect the shirt, the badge," said Popovic.

"You have to respect the honour of playing for the Socceroos and we also have to respect the fact that everyone can make their own choice and their decision, and right now, his decision is not to make himself available.

"That does not mean he was being selected. Let's make that clear as well. He's a young player that's coming through. But we know he's a talent. We have many young, talented players that are trying to forge a career in Europe.

"We will watch him. We'll monitor him, as we have throughout the year - we watched all his matches - continue to do that, and if the opportunity comes that we can select him, we'll make that decision then."

Robertson has been a revelation at Cardiff, particularly since Omer Riza took interim charge. He has been the midfielder City have craved for some years, dictating play and displaying an impressive passing range while also being able to stick to his defensive duties diligently. His goal against Plymouth was also a real peach.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Robertson was asked by WalesOnline about his international future and the former Manchester City youngster insisted he wanted to focus on his club football after returning from a bad injury which he sustained while on loan at Portsmouth last year.

"It's just that I want to focus on my club football. I'm loving it here at the minute," Robertson said.

"We're not in a sticky situation here, but obviously where we are in the table, we want to climb it. I'm fully focused on my club and our team trying to get us up.

"So the international has, I've not parked it, but I'm just focusing on my club at the minute. To be fair, I didn't hear anything from the last camp so I'm not sure what happened on that end.

"The previous camps I said wanted to focus on the club. I'd come back from a big injury, so that left me out for a long time."