EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool’s teenage Aussie keeper Dean Bouzanis could be invited into the Australian set up shortly despite recently playing for Greece U/19s.
au.fourfourtwo.com understands that Socceroo goalkeeping coach Tony Franken has been in touch with the talented young keeper by phone to check on his progress at the English Premiership club.
“He’s happy to receive calls from the FFA, he’s an Aussie,” Bouzanis’s agent Terry Palapanis told au.fourfourtwo.com today.
“But at the end of the day, he wants to play international football.”
Bouzanis was said to be upset at being all but snubbed by FFA up until this point but things could now be changing in favour of Australia.
The snag has been that Bouzanis has played three times for the Greek U19s in recent months due to his dual citizenship of both countries. However, it's been said that he would like to play for Australia.
Many local experts have described the 17-year-old, 191cm former Sydney FC talent as the most exciting goalkeeping prospect since Mark Bosnich began his career in the early 1990s.
Bouzanis made his senior debut aged just 14 with St George and it’s known that Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez rates him very highly, as does FC keeping coach and former Socceroo Jim Fraser.
With Mariners glovesman Danny Vukovic out of the picture for the upcoming 2008 Olympics, Bouzanis would appear to be the ideal choice to bolster our ranks.
“They [the Greek FA] are flying over myself and Dean's father in May to talk to us. They've got European qualification matches [in the U/19s] in May. So they are continuously keen,” Palapanis told this website recently.
Meanwhile another teenage Aussie keeper could be set to follow in Bouzanis's footsteps. Fifteen year-old keeper Aaron Lennox of Sydney United and NSWIS will train with English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur this July.
“He’s happy to receive calls from the FFA, he’s an Aussie,” Bouzanis’s agent Terry Palapanis told au.fourfourtwo.com today.
“But at the end of the day, he wants to play international football.”
Bouzanis was said to be upset at being all but snubbed by FFA up until this point but things could now be changing in favour of Australia.
The snag has been that Bouzanis has played three times for the Greek U19s in recent months due to his dual citizenship of both countries. However, it's been said that he would like to play for Australia.
Many local experts have described the 17-year-old, 191cm former Sydney FC talent as the most exciting goalkeeping prospect since Mark Bosnich began his career in the early 1990s.
Bouzanis made his senior debut aged just 14 with St George and it’s known that Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez rates him very highly, as does FC keeping coach and former Socceroo Jim Fraser.
With Mariners glovesman Danny Vukovic out of the picture for the upcoming 2008 Olympics, Bouzanis would appear to be the ideal choice to bolster our ranks.
“They [the Greek FA] are flying over myself and Dean's father in May to talk to us. They've got European qualification matches [in the U/19s] in May. So they are continuously keen,” Palapanis told this website recently.
Meanwhile another teenage Aussie keeper could be set to follow in Bouzanis's footsteps. Fifteen year-old keeper Aaron Lennox of Sydney United and NSWIS will train with English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur this July.
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