Western Sydney boss Marko Rudan has stopped short of endorsing Brandon Borrello for a Socceroos recall but believes his makeshift forward should be hailed with the same reverence as the Isuzu UTE A-League’s leading marksmen.
Signed by Rudan as a winger, Borrello has been forced to lead the line for the Wanderers in his first season back after a lengthy spell in Germany.
The positional switch has paid off for the 27-year-old, who grabbed a goal in the Wanderers’ 4-0 thrashing of Macarthur on Saturday.
Borrello now has six goals in his last nine games and with an international friendly window at the end of March, there is scope for him to add to his four caps.
“It’s not for me to comment on that, that’s for Graham Arnold and his coaching staff to decide if he’s at that level,” Rudan said.
“He’s really positive around the place and gives us a lot of energy.
“He’s got all the skill-set to play in that position, even though he came as a winger.
“His strike rate is as good as any in the league – Jamie Maclaren and Jason Cummings are maybe a bit better in terms of ratio – but he’s right up there.
“He enjoys playing there and we want to make him better and he makes us better, more importantly.”
Rudan’s men moved into third with victory over Macarthur and they will have a chance to leapfrog the second-placed Central Coast Mariners when they meet next week.
The two sides have been in a nip and tuck battle all season but a victory would be a big step in assuring the Wanderers of a spot in the finals.
New signings Amor Layouni and Morgan Schneiderlin as well as playmaker Milos Ninkovic are nearing full fitness.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead but it’s going to be a really good game and a tough game,” Rudan said.
“We’re two teams who like to go for it. They certainly are that team and we’re evolving into that team as well which is important.
“We’ll recover properly and plan for the Mariners which will be a very physical encounter, so we need to step up next week.”
