Coach Graham Arnold today announced the inclusion of the AEK Larnaca attacker  to his 23-player squad.

The 28-year-old's registration was completed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday and he arrived in Al Ain early on Thursday morning (local time).

He has since completed a medical with Socceroos staff and finalised his place in the squad

Arnold said Giannou, who scored his first goal for Australia in a 4-0 away win over Kuwait in October, was excited about joining the group for his major international tournament.

“Apostolos has been playing regularly in Cyprus with his club, as well as in the UEFA Europa League throughout 2018" Arnold said.

"He has arrived with the determination to impress and make the most of the opportunity.

“Our group has welcomed ‘Apo’ back into the Socceroos family and having been with us in Turkey, the UAE, and Kuwait earlier this year, Apo has a clear picture of how we work and the principles of play.

“We have spoken consistently about our player pool getting deeper and to add Apo to our attacking options despite the unfortunate news for Martin (Boyle) is fantastic. Apo offers us something a little bit different in attack – he is a hard-working player who can press and has a sharp eye for goal.”

Giannou said: “I will be doing everything that I can to impress in training and perform in matches here in the UAE. We have a great squad with a great culture and together I believe we will achieve our goals at the tournament.”

The injury hit squad will be without Boyle and Aaron Mooy while Mathew Leckie is also in doubt.