Agostino, who has managed just five A-League games this season to go with the 10 he played last campaign, has only shown his best in glimpses for the Reds.

The marquee player will miss United's game against Perth Glory, instead suiting up for the club's National Youth League side.

Vidmar said it's hoped Agostino can work his way back into touch and fitness with the juniors.

He said: "He hasn't had any games so we'll try and get as many games into him as possible."

But Adelaide's coach wouldn't directly answer whether the striker was playing for his future in 2009.

He said: "I think everyone is, even the guys that are on contract. You've got to perform every day and that's the nature of the game.

"You need to perform at training, you need to be doing the right things off the pitch and obviously you have to do the right things on the pitch on game day.

"Everyone is under scrutiny every day. It doesn't matter if it's 'Ago' or Eugene (Galekovic) or Sasa (Ognenovski) - everyone has to perform on the day."

"We are going to need everyone on board, we've got seven weeks and hopefully finals so we need everyone in match condition."

The competition has been turned on its head by the poor form of Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC and the resurgence of Perth and Wellington Phoenix in recent weeks.

Vidmar is aware Glory are a form team and hoped his club didn't follow the path of other highly-ranked sides.

He said: "The way the season has been going it's pretty crazy, who would have thought two weeks away in Tokyo and we would come back and still be sitting on the top of the table?.

"It's still very close though. You have a look at Sydney and I think they've won one game in the last nine and they are only four points off us.

"It's amazing you can have that sort of run and still be a chance to be minor premiers so I think it's fantastic for the league."

Adelaide enter their clash against Perth without Diego (who has a quad injury) and back-up keeper Mark Birighitti.

Cristiano had limited involvement in training this week because of Achilles tendonitis but is expected to start the contest while Robbie Younis, who showed promising form in the Club World Cup, will start on the bench.