Postecoglou revealed his extended 30-man squad on Wednesday morning for upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Iraq and UAE.

Adelaide United’s 18-year-old midfielder Riley McGree was the bolter after only 12 senior games, but Postecoglou said Tongyik, who moved to Australia as a six-year-old, was close too.

“Tongyik from Melbourne City is another one who I think is really impressive,” Postecoglou said. 

“His paperwork hasn’t been cleared yet in terms of being eligible but he would’ve been close to the squad had he been.

“With guys like that we don’t want to wait too long to give them an opportunity.”

Postecoglou said he immediately stood up and took notice of McGree after debuting earlier this season for Adelaide.

The Australia boss will cut the squad for 30 players to 23 next week and he said McGree was definitely a chance to be retained.

“Riley is a good chance to make the 23,” Postecoglou said.

“He’s certainly not there because I want to put his name among the 30 players. He’s definitely one in the frame.

“I just think he’s a really exciting talent. I watched him from the first couple of games he played and he made you stand up and notice him straight away for a young guy.

“He’s been playing not in his best position in the last few weeks for his club who are going through a difficult club.

“Not playing in his favourite position, he’s shown real good temperament and ability to tackle the task ahead of him. I’m really excited by him.”

Postecoglou was proud approximately 25 of his squad had started for their clubs on the weekend, admitting those who didn’t were at risk of missing the final cut.

Among those are senior players such as Trent Sainsbury (Internazionale), Brad Smith (Bournemouth), Nathan Burns (FC Tokyo) and Tim Cahill (Melbourne City).

Postecoglou hinted Cahill was likely to be retained given his ability to make an impact but said he wouldn’t be afraid to leave out Sainsbury, despite the injury-enforced absence of Matt Spiranovic.

In this context, Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson’s absence was a surprise, although Rhyan Grant and Danny Vukovic provided the sky blue contingent.

Uncapped Sydney right-back Grant got the nod over Perth Glory’s Josh Risdon.

“I think overall you look at Sydney this year, they’ve been the dominant team in the competition,” Postecoglou said..

“Rhyan and Danny Vukovic have been two very consistent players. Both are guys who we want to have a closer look at.

“There’s probably two or three Sydney others who were close, but some other things come into consideration there, such as the positions they play.”

Rhys Williams last played for Australia in Ange Postecoglou’s first game in charge against Costa Rica in November 2013 but earned a recall.

The 14-time Socceroo had been frozen out at Perth Glory after an internal dispute during January but has returned to action and some form.

“I’m not a psychologist but his form over the last month has been good,” Postecoglou said.

“I’ve always thought he’s a player who’d fit into the football we want to play. This is as good an opportunity as any to bring him in and have a look.

“It’s not just about playing well to get into the national team, it’s how you adapt to national team, how to adapt to our environment.

“He’s an experienced player but he’s missed a bit in his career.

“If his head’s not right, there’d be something wrong if he doesn’t realize it’s a great opportunity for him.”

Postecoglou also indicated he expects James Troisi and Mitchell Langerak to push for starting XI berths.