Franjic determined to make Socceroos return

Franjic determined to make Socceroos return

0
SHARE

Melbourne City defender Ivan Franjic is relishing the opportunity to play in front of his fans for the first time since he arrived at the club and begin building his case for a recall to the national setup.

The 28-year-old, who has suffered a series of injuries since the Asian Cup, made his long comeback into club football on Friday, off the bench against his former club Brisbane Roar and is eager to play a full 90 minutes against Perth on Friday night.

“If you told me before the season I’d be playing round seven against Roar I would have said you’re stupid, but it’s good to be back,” Franjic said.

“It felt good to be out there, especially it’s something I love doing and I enjoy the most.

“I’ll always put my hand up to start but that’s up to the coach and the medical, I believe I could run out for 90 minutes on Friday.

“I’m looking forward to it, Melbourne’s where I grew up and it’s always been a dream of mine to win a championship in Melbourne so hopefully we can do it this season.”

The defender is keen to put all his recent injury problems behind him and get back to enjoying consistent football, but opened up about recent personal psychological battles.

“I think the first game back you’re on an adrenaline, so it’s not really there, but when you’re coming through training and whatnot, there’s periods where you doubt yourself and say ‘oh am I going to go again?’ but you just have to push through it and it’s about knowing your body and knowing your limits because I’m not getting any younger,” he said.

“I’ll go out there and I don’t put limits on myself, because once you step over that white line, you’re fit and there’s no excuses, it’s up to the coaches and medicals if I can start but I’ll put my hand up.”

Franjic revealed his stint at Russian club Torpedo Moscow did not go according to plan but believed the reports written on his spell were slightly blown out of proportion.

“I loved Russia I’d go back there in a heartbeat, some people write different things, but it was very good,” he said.

“It was just a tough experience when you rock up and miss two preseasons with the club and can’t speak the language and have no translator.

“I’m a Melbourne boy and I’ve come back, because I believe we can win a championship here and still believe now we can.”

Franjic is also looking forward to a potential return to the Socceroos; the defender had an unlucky campaign at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, tearing his hamstring in the one game he played against Chile, but had a significant contribution to Australia’s 2015 Asian Cup Glory, partaking in every game before being injured in the final.

The right-back is keen to attract the attention of Socceroo coach Ange Postecoglou once again, who has experimented with a number of players over the journey which Franjic believes is a positive for Australia moving forward.

[interaction id=”5653fa7641f2d0122ba89095″]

If Franjic is to break back into the national team, he conceded it is only through playing well for Melbourne City is what will earn him a spot playing for Australia.

“I have to start performing week in and week out in A-League and then it’s up to the boss Ange if he thinks I’m good enough to get back in there,” he said.

“I’ll work hard and do everything right, keep performing to the best of my ability, and hopefully it’s good enough to get me a spot.

“Ange wants to establish depth in the Socceroo line-up so we don’t just rely on 20 players, we’ll have 40 players, so he’s trying to give everyone a great opportunity.”

What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.