Schwarzer: Viduka Must Show Commitment

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Roos keeper Mark Schwarzer admits he wants Mark Viduka back in green and gold - but only if his former Middlesbrough teammate is fully committed to the cause.

Schwarzer, who guided Australia to 2010 World Cup qualification, claims he would only welcome Viduka back into the Socceroos frame if the 33-year-old former Melbourne Knights hitman was 'fit, determined and hungry'.

"You've got to be crazy to say you don't want a fit Mark Viduka, an enthusiastic, determined Mark Viduka in your squad," he said.

"But they are the key words, he needs to be fit, to be determined and hungry, to want to still play.

"There's no point having any player that doesn't want to be there. You need players that are 100 per cent committed to the cause.

"That's what the key's been throughout this whole campaign, that every single player that's ever played for the national team and been involved in any of the camps has been 100 per cent committed to the cause."

Viduka didn't play any part in Australia's successful World Cup qualifying campaign and actually hasn't featured for the Socceroos since the failed 2007 Asian Cup tournament.

And Schwarzer believes Australia's success in qualifying for the South Africa without Viduka is evidence enough to suggest the Socceroos don't necessarily need the big striker.

"We've got players that are more than capable of scoring from anywhere on the park," Schwarzer said. "There's obviously a lot of debate about what sort of system we play and what the best system is to play.

"If you can have a player of the calibre of Mark Viduka in your squad, you'd take it with open arms. But if you don't you've got to get on with it and move on."

Schwarzer, 36, also admitted he was keen to play beyond the 2010 World Cup, with a spot in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup seemingly increasingly realistic.

"I'm enjoying my football more than I have at any time in my career and these last 12 months, 18 months for me has been a dream come true. I won't hide that fact," Schwarzer enthused.

"At this moment in time I want to play as long as I can and as long as I'm physically fit, as long as I'm still feeling fresh and as long as I'm still doing the business on the park."