McDonald, 27, has won 20 caps for Australia but never scored at international level, despite being relatively prolific at club level.

The Middlesbrough forward's lack of return on the international stage saw him left out of Pim Verbeek's 2010 World Cup squad, but McDonald told The Sun-Herald that the new manager Osieck has plenty of faith in him.

"The new boss sees something in me he likes, and there are certainly aspects of my game people don't focus on as much as the goals," McDonald said.

"I've always said goals will come in time, and I stick by that, but the boss isn't putting pressure on me on that side of things.

''He just wants me to play a big role in the final third for the team - and that's what I intend to do.

"I've always liked to be involved in build-up play, and I get a buzz setting other players up. That can be just as rewarding as scoring yourself.

"We have so many good finishers in the team, players like Tim (Cahill) and Harry (Kewell) and Brett Holman emerging at the World Cup, and we can all support each other.

"If I can play a role in the team structure and bring others into the game, have my fair share of attempts on goal also, then I'll be happy."

Injuries to a number of Australia's attacking options ahead of this month's Asian Cup, including Joshua Kennedy, has also added to the importance of McDonald finding his goalscoring touch in Qatar.

Osieck has handed McDonald the coveted No.9 shirt for the Asian Cup and the Melbourne-born man said that was a sign of the belief the boss has in him.

"It's a vote of confidence. I feel I can deliver for the boss and show him he was right to back me," he said.

"We're one of the favourites at the Asian Cup and people are going to want to knock us off. That shows we've done something right over the last few years."