Mark Milligan admitted Cahill was “frustrated” on Friday to miss out on the games against France and Denmark in Russia.

The 38-year-old has little game time under his belt, but some Australian fans were shocked he wasn’t substituted on by Bert van Marwijk in both games, which went down to the wire.

Australia need to beat Peru in Sochi next week to stay alive at this World Cup and Behich said the Socceroo veteran will be ready if needed.

“We’re all a part of Bert’s plans because we’re part of the 23,” Behich said.

“That’s something Bert always says, we always have to be ready at any time and Timmy is a true professional, it shows the way he works on the pitch in training every day and he’s just a proper example for all of us, not just the young boys.

“Just the way he goes about his job, mentally, he’s always strong and ready to go, so we love having Tim as a part of our group and we all know what he can do.

“I know if he’s called upon by the coach, then that’s the coaching staff’s decision, not ours. We just have to work hard on the pitch and we just need to keep ourselves ready. If Timmy’s been called upon, no doubt he’ll do a job for us.”

The Socceroos boss has fielded the same starting XI in their first two games with the same three substitutes coming on – Tomi Juric, Jackson Irvine and Daniel Arzani.

Is Timmy needed against Peru? Photo by Kevin Airs

Despite van Marwijk’s reluctance to tinker with the team, Behich said the players weren’t getting complacent.

“Everyone has to be ready, no one is comfortable that their position is their own and that’s something good we have in this squad,” he said.

“We’ve got great players in every position more than once, so it’s just to make sure we stay on our toes and we push each other.

“Ultimately we’re all striving for the same goal and we’re all in it together and we don’t want this journey to end.

“We’re pushing each other and we’ll continue doing that as long as we’re in this tournament.

“Credit to the boys that haven’t been playing, they’ve pushed us and it shows the way we’ve played on the weekend that they’re a big part of preparing and they’re always ready to go.”