Schwarzer, 37, has been a mainstay in the national team for the last three World Cup campaigns with a series of brilliant performances giving him a justified mortgage on the shirt. 

But despite talk he may continue through his 40s, his successor remains a hotly debated topic. While Adam Federici, Eugence Galekovic  and Ante Covic hold justifiable claims, they are yet to be viewed as clear long-term successors.

Teenage Dean Bouzanis was also spoken about but Bolton is in no doubt that 21-year-old Langerak has proven himself a man with a real Socceroo future.

"I have the highest respect for that kid. He'll be the next Socceroo keeper consistently. He'll be there, give it two or three years," Bolton told au.fourfourtwo.com at Melbourne Heart training. 

"It depends on when Schwarzer wants to hang up the gloves. I think he'll [Schwarzer] be pushed by Mitch."

Bolton felt that Langerak won't be in Australia too long despite a well-publicised dashed deal to join Dortmund in Germany.

"He's already good enough, you can tell," he said. "He can handle the pressure, that's how you can tell.

"He can handle the big occasion, the pressure and he's still young but playing in the ACL well and Victory. You know he can handle the pressure and he's got a huge future," said Bolton.

Langerak and Bolton are both from the same Queensland town of Bundaberg and coincidentally they share the same birthday, August 22.

How two keepers from the same regional town ended up in a grand final still has Bolton amazed.

"I had a quick chat with him when I walked with him to the penalty spot during the [last A-League] grand final," said Bolton.

"And I said to him, 'who'd have thought a couple of boys from Bundy playing in an A-League grand final?'

"There must be something in the water I guess."

Langerak has been in the news for most of the season after a stellar campaign in the Victory goal. However the media spotlight has been on him in the last day after it was discovered he'd tweeted his disappointment at Victory not letting him join Borussia Dortmund.

But the future is bright for Langerak and Bolton. And it's not out of the realms of possibility that the Bundaberg pair could be re-united in the green and gold with next January's Asian Cup squad likely to be a new-look group with half an eye on the future.

Bolton, 34, was called up for the last Socceroo camp against Indonesia and Langerak's form could be too irresistible for the next national team coach.

He added: "I might be understudy to Mitch!

"Which I'd happily do because I respect him a lot."