Socceroo_06
September 12th, 2006, 09:52 AM
McDonald eyes England again (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20392501-5006068,00.html)
http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5242097,00.jpg
SCOTT McDonald, one of the new breed of Australian strikers, is desperate to go back to England in pursuit of a permanent Socceroos spot.
The 23-year-old has spent several seasons at Scottish side Motherwell after having cracked Southampton's first team as a teenager, but now he feels it's time to broaden his horizons.
An English Premier League move would be ideal for the feisty little striker, who hit 12 goals last season and already has three in the new campaign, but he knows the Championship is a more realistic stepping stone.
"I'm not saying I'm better than anyone that's in this league at the moment. I just feel it's time to move on," McDonald said.
"At the end of last season I put in a transfer request. I wanted to play in a bigger league and a higher standard with more competition. But obviously I'm still there.
"Realistically I'm one step away from the EPL, so the Championship would be a great league to play in, and there's a few boys playing there and I'd be quite happy to go back to England."
McDonald played for Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher at Motherwell and was at the Victorian Institute of Sport under current Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick.
He's been in contact with both, but said a return to the A-League would be a step backwards.
"At the moment I'm quite happy plying my trade overseas and that's where I want to stay for many years to come," he said.
"Even though the A-League's getting bigger and stronger, I still believe I'll benefit more from playing overseas."
McDonald made his debut in Bahrain after much conjecture about his international future – Scotland were apparently keen on his services too.
He had the chance to nail down a spot as a sub against Kuwait but his two late chances failed to hit the net.
"There's a lot of different options out there but I'd like to think with the crop that's coming through I'm as good as anyone and we'll be fighting hard to get in the team. It's healthy," he said.
"Brett Holman's obviously done well in Holland. Josh (Kennedy) has had a bad injury, which is unfortunate for him having made the step up to the Bundesliga again.
"I know Josh really well and we played in the same junior state teams. I was happy to see him in the national team. Obviously he's a different option from me and if we were to play up front it would work well."
http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5242097,00.jpg
SCOTT McDonald, one of the new breed of Australian strikers, is desperate to go back to England in pursuit of a permanent Socceroos spot.
The 23-year-old has spent several seasons at Scottish side Motherwell after having cracked Southampton's first team as a teenager, but now he feels it's time to broaden his horizons.
An English Premier League move would be ideal for the feisty little striker, who hit 12 goals last season and already has three in the new campaign, but he knows the Championship is a more realistic stepping stone.
"I'm not saying I'm better than anyone that's in this league at the moment. I just feel it's time to move on," McDonald said.
"At the end of last season I put in a transfer request. I wanted to play in a bigger league and a higher standard with more competition. But obviously I'm still there.
"Realistically I'm one step away from the EPL, so the Championship would be a great league to play in, and there's a few boys playing there and I'd be quite happy to go back to England."
McDonald played for Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher at Motherwell and was at the Victorian Institute of Sport under current Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick.
He's been in contact with both, but said a return to the A-League would be a step backwards.
"At the moment I'm quite happy plying my trade overseas and that's where I want to stay for many years to come," he said.
"Even though the A-League's getting bigger and stronger, I still believe I'll benefit more from playing overseas."
McDonald made his debut in Bahrain after much conjecture about his international future – Scotland were apparently keen on his services too.
He had the chance to nail down a spot as a sub against Kuwait but his two late chances failed to hit the net.
"There's a lot of different options out there but I'd like to think with the crop that's coming through I'm as good as anyone and we'll be fighting hard to get in the team. It's healthy," he said.
"Brett Holman's obviously done well in Holland. Josh (Kennedy) has had a bad injury, which is unfortunate for him having made the step up to the Bundesliga again.
"I know Josh really well and we played in the same junior state teams. I was happy to see him in the national team. Obviously he's a different option from me and if we were to play up front it would work well."