Departing Maclaren out to impress Ange
May 8, 2017 - 4:44 AM Brisbane might not have anything left to play for in the AFC Champions League but off-contract Roar striker Jamie Maclaren is desperate to keep impressing Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou.The 23-year-old will almost certainly play his final match for the Roar in Wednesday night's Group E dead rubber against South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai ahead of a likely shift overseas next season.
But Maclaren won't be treating it as his Suncorp Stadium swansong.
Instead, he'll be treating it as one last audition for next month's crucial World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Adelaide.
"It's not goodbye just yet," Maclaren told AAP.
"I don't know what my future holds, but for Thomas it is goodbye.
"We have to approach it like another game.
"People have their own little individual battles and for me, I want to get in the Socceroos.
"Another 90 minutes under my belt is going to help me.
"We'll just have to see what happens but we'll give the fans what they've always seen throughout the season - we'll give it everything."
Maclaren finished the A-League season with 20 goals and was honoured as the competition's best young player for the second year in a row.
The clash against Ulsan is his last chance for competitive minutes before the June 8 qualifier at Adelaide Oval.
He is undoubtably Australia's most in-form striker but whether he has done enough to catch the eye of Postecoglou remains to be seen, although his off-the-shoulder runs would suit the coach's new 3-2-4-1 formation perfectly.
Maclaren, who hasn't been picked for international duty since November's 2-2 draw against Thailand, said he still had no idea where he would end up next season.
"But I've loved playing for Brisbane Roar and I think people forget that," he said.
"It's been two quality years, in terms of my stats, but not just that - the dressing room is the best I've ever been in.
"If I was to go, I definitely would miss that but it's still in the air at the moment."
Wednesday's match is also a chance for Brisbane supporters to say a proper farewell to Dimitri Petratos, who made a sudden transfer to Ulsan in the January transfer window.
However, departing veteran Thomas Broich won't be involved.
The 36-year-old didn't train on Monday and has reportedly ruled himself out of what had been marketed as his farewell match because of a lingering ankle injury, ending his career with the Roar.
Source: AAP
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