Leicester City fans will have a vested interest in watching some of their own strut their stuff at the upcoming World Cup.
While it is expected that Abdul Fatawu will leave the King Power behind this summer, Leicester fans will be keen to see how he fares with Ghana , alongside Jordan Ayew , who is departing in June when his Foxes contract expires.
There is also the surprise inclusion of Harry Souttar in the Australia set-up, as the Socceroos do battle with Turkey, the USA, and Paraguay in Group D.
It will be intriguing to see how many minutes the injury-prone centre-back receives under manager Tony Popovic, with Souttar barely featuring last season for his relegated parent club.
The 27-year-old might well have experienced another horrible campaign when it comes to injuries, and Leicester will be playing League One football next season, but that hasn't stopped him from being surprisingly called back up to the Australia fold.
Starting a recent friendly against Mexico , as the Socceroos prepare for a demanding World Cup, this is only the second 90-minute runout Souttar has managed in over a year, due to constant injury setbacks.
Indeed, a nasty Achilles tendon rupture had left the towering centre-back out of action for a staggering 468 days, meaning he missed 83 games in total for ex-loan employers Sheffield United, Leicester, and his adopted nation.
Regardless of this lengthy time out in the King Power treatment room, Popovic has decided to go with the unfortunate 27-year-old for the World Cup, and there could be some method behind his madness.
After all, Souttar - when fit - has proved himself to be a valiant battler for the Foxes, with his two runouts towards the end of the season against Millwall and Blackburn Rovers not showing considerable signs of rust whatsoever. Across 178 minutes of action, the 6-foot-6 defender would win an imperious 16 duels, alongside scoring against Alex Neil's Lions.
It's his ability to be so dominant in the air that would've seen him be gifted this late Socceroos call-up, with Souttar a beloved figure among the impassioned Australia masses, despite hailing from Dundee.
Souttar made his Australia debut at just 20 and has been mainly dependable when thrown into the deep end of international football.
On his debut for his adopted homeland, the 27-year-old would bag two goals against Nepal, and he hasn't let the goals dry up since, with a staggering 11 goals next to his name from 37 caps.
Starting all four of Australia's 2022 World Cup games out in Qatar , too, as Graham Arnold and Co. managed to get out of Group D, the hope will be that the 6-foot-6 titan can blow off any Foxes cobwebs with ease and shine in another frantic tournament.
Souttar had an extremely impressive tournament out in the Middle East, as he kept the likes of Lionel Messi largely at bay, even if Argentina did knock out Australia 2-1 in the last 16.
Managing to tally up two clean sheets against Tunisia and Denmark , as well, Popovic will believe Souttar can shut out the likes of Paraguay if he can recapture this 2022 magic, despite all his injury woes.
Arnold was such a big fan of Souttar that he said Premier League clubs should be "banging on the door real quick" to snap up the commanding defender back in 2022.
This is a big chance for Souttar to impress, as the one-time Stoke City centre-back could use the World Cup as a way to launch himself back into the Championship, away from sticking it out in League One.
He has been tentatively discussed as a summer transfer window option for Chris Wilder's Sheffield United, as the Leicester number 15 desperately tries to succeed, to breathe life back into his frail playing days.
This article was originally published on www.foxesofleicester.com as Leicester star now has a big chance to impress at the World Cup .
