Osieck said that Gulum's change in allegiance was 'unfortunate'.

Gulum's decision to commit himself to Turkey - having been called up by Hiddink - has sparked plenty of debate.

The player has taken stick from some Australians for pledging himself to Turkey while others blame the FFA for not pursuing him.

As for Osieck, he cannot quite understand how much attention the issue has created.

"When I released the squad (for the Egypt match), he was not even up for discussion," Osieck told AAP. "I don't know for whatever reasons, the Turks have done it.

"Maybe it is a little bit of a rush because they do not want to lose another player because they missed out on a couple of Turks who grew up in Europe and Germany and they got a lot of stick for that."

The Socceroos boss questioned such a strategy.

"I think no matter what quality a player offers ... it is like being collectors that collect players for the sake of collecting," Osieck said.

"Four weeks ago no one talks about him and he did not even play, and now all of a suddenly he becomes the object of desire."

Turkey take on Holland in a friendly this week.