Hearts and Hibs stars miss out on Tony Popovic's first Australia squad

Both players were called up last month by Graham Arnold for the defeat by Bahrain and draw with Indonesia, with Boyle starting the 1-0 defeat against Bahrain. Both men were unused substitutes against the Indonesians in a 0-0 stalemate and will not play a part in the Australians crucial World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Boyle is recovering from wrist surgery and is likely to have missed out due to his recovery from that, but Devlin has been first-team regular across the city for Hearts.

Both capital clubs will still be represented, though, with defenders Lewis Miller (Hibs) and Kye Rowles (Hearts) included. There is also no place for Ross County’s Josh Nisbet, who won his first caps last month, but Motherwell striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has made the cut.

Australia sit fifth in a six-team group including Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Indonesia and China. The top two teams advance directly to the World Cup in 2026, with third and fourth place entering the fourth stage of qualifying.

The Socceroos, who appointed Popovic last month after Arnold stepped down following six years in charge, take on China in Adelaide on Thursday October 10, before travelling to Saitama on Tuesday, October 15 to play Japan.

The next World Cup takes place in 2026 and is being held across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Australia squad

Goalkeepers: Maty Ryan, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo.

Defenders: Aziz Behich, Jordy Bos, Cameron Burgess, Thomas Deng, Jason Geria, Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar, Gianni Stensness.

Midfielders: Keanu Baccus, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Massimo Luongo, Riley McGree, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O’Neill.

Forwards: Daniel Arzani, Mitchell Duke, Craig Goodwin, Nestory Irankunda, Sam Silvera, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Nishan Velupillay.