Ryan ramps up bid to reclaim top spot for club and country

Returning Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan is hoping game time for his country could be a springboard back into the starting line-up for Spanish giants Valencia.

Mat Ryan playing in the Champions League with Valencia. Source: Getty Images Europe

Ryan has missed the Socceroos' last three FIFA Wold Cup qualifiers as he recovers from surgery for a torn meniscus – and then an infected knee – and is more likely to step out again for his country in the looming clashes against Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh before he does for his club with Jaume Domenech performing well during his 11-match absence.

With Bournemouth’s Adam Federici deputising in the clashes against Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Jordan, Ryan will be ramping up the pressure when he heads into camp for the 12 November visit of Kyrgyzstan to Canberra and the trip to Dhaka four days later.

However, Ryan is not yet fully integrated into training with Valencia, after being set by a bacterial infection in his knee a month into his rehab from August’s initial operation, and will have to prove his fitness to coach Ange Postecoglou and the Socceroos' conditioning staff.

While no risk will be taken with him unless he is 100 per cent ready, Postecoglou will be keen to get his first choice keeper back into action, if at all possible, as Australia chase the points they needs to keep the heat on Jordan at the top of AFC qualifying Group B where they lag by four pints after the shock 2-0 loss in Amman.

“Being out for so long, for both my club and Australia, I just want to get back into the swing of things again," said Ryan.

"When you get called into the national team, it makes you realise the sacrifices you make to build a career in Europe are all more than worth it.

“It was nice feeling to get called up again …I just want to build on what I am doing with my club to get fully fit  and hopefully when I go into camp with the national team I’ll have been in full training for well over a week and will be ready to play, if selected.

"If I can get in a couple of matches, it would be a big bonus for me."

Ryan didn’t watch much of Australia’s laboured and listless performance in Amman, where they looked ponderous and one-paced against a slick, counter attacking Jordan.

But he saw enough to know that his teammates will want to put it behind them at warp speed.

“We set out to try and dominate our group, and play the way we want to and last result certainly wasn’t what we wanted," he added.

"We will be looking to rectify that straight away with a strong performance against Kyrgyzstan and then against Bangladesh.

“We need to get back into winning ways, and taking six points from these two games is really a must If are going to top the group. We need maximum points from every remaining game now (three at home and one away).

“I am confident we can achieve that. I spoke to a few boys after the Jordan game, and it's done and dusted now. It’s in the past ...  we learn from it and we move on.

“We are still in control of our own destiny (with Jordan to come in Australia's final group game on home soil) and I am pretty confident that we’ll continue to build on what we have achieved since Ange has taken over.”