Emerton, 31, told the Sydney Morning Herald he couldn't commit to the January tournament which comes right in the middle of the busy Premier League season.

"It's going to be an interesting six months," he said. "I'd like to play (in Qatar) but it could depend on so many different factors.

"First, we'll have to see how things are going at my club, then it's about who is in charge of the national team and what they want to gain.

"They might want to blood a lot of young players or they might stick with the more experienced players like myself.

"Either way, so long as I'm fit, I'll always be interested in playing for my country."

He added about his national team future: "Of course there's going to be plenty of changes in the national team, both in terms of players and coaches, but there's some big games coming up and the Asian Cup is a tournament I'd love to be involved in."

Emerton also weighed into the vacant Socceroos manager role claiming he hoped the FFA can find the right man.

"We want someone who's experienced, that's got to be the top priority," he said.

"We've got to be able to employ someone who can take us forward as a footballing nation."

The Blackburn Rovers midfielder also came to the defence of former Socceroos boss Pim Verbeek in the wake of the fallout from the 2010 World Cup.

''It was a huge shame to see the criticism he received," he said.

"I'll definitely be remembering him in a very positive way. He did an exceptional job as national team coach, from the start of qualifying and right through to the end of the World Cup.

"I think he was good for me, good for the team and good for Australian football and that's how he should be remembered.

"A lot of people don't seem to think we were a success but I don't agree with that. We got two very good results and couldn't have been closer to making it through to the next round."