'I have struggled a little bit' - SPFL stars left in limbo after bombshell managerial resignation

The 61-year-old - who led Australia to the World Cup in 2022 - has decided to stand down in the wake of two disappointing results in the last international break, losing to Bahrain and drawing with Indonesia. The results leave the Socceroos in a precarious position as they bid to make the World Cup in 2026 and Arnold believes now is the right time to walk away.

Australia draw a number of players from the top flight of Scottish football, with Hearts trio Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin and Calem Nieuwenhof on the Socceroos’ radar, while Hibs duo Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller are regulars in the squad. Ross County’s Josh Nisbet was in the previous group, while Dundee United right-back Ryan Strain and Motherwell forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have also been recent call-ups.

In position since 2018, Arnold held talks with the Australian FA earlier this week on his future and decided that change was needed.

“I said after the Indonesia game that I had some big decisions to make,” Arnold said. “I followed my gut and have gone with the decision of, after 40 years service and six years at the helm of coaching the Socceroos, that it’s time for change and time for me to move on.

“I’ve got to be honest, and I always am, I have struggled a little bit since the Asian Cup loss. I truly went to that Asian Cup thinking that we were going to win it.

“I do believe that I’ve got the maximum out of this group of players. When I say that, someone else can come in and get more. Myself, and the staff, have done everything we possibly can.

“I've bled green and gold for 40 years, and I look back at the tenure of six years and where I had to rebuild. I coached the Olympic team and developed those players quite quickly. It was a quick, quick fix to create depth.

“Obviously, COVID hit and being stuck away for six months and not being able to come back to Australia and see family and friends was also a tough time. But, everything happens for a reason and you gave all those sacrifices and everything, and we got paid back with the World Cup, where we finished 11th in the world - the greatest Socceroos team in history.

“Even being voted as number one coach at the World Cup by L’Equipe magazine is something special, and I just feel again that the boys have given me everything they've got, and I can't be more thankful for their sacrifices and everything that they've done.”