Osieck named Gulum in his recent 50-man squad for the Asian Cup but seemingly now has given up hope that the talented defender will ever wear the green and gold.

Speaking from Switzerland, Osieck revealed he’d recently spent an hour speaking with Gulum - the former fringe Olyroo originally from Melbourne but with Turkish heritage – in Ankara recently before a Turkish club game against Genclerbirligi.

He watched the left sided defender play and was impressed enough to believe the player could’ve been a regular in the national team over the next two World Cup campaigns.  

He also believed Gulum was onboard with the FFA but that was before the player's father intervened, said Osieck.

“It’s very, very unfortunate,” said Osieck. “We talked about the situation and he seemed to be committed.

"He wants to play for Australia although he already got the invitation to play for Turkey and the invitation to join the squad for the Holland game.

“I thought it was a done deal therefore I included him in the 50-man squad. Unfortunately things have turned around, in particular his father, who played a role. He said he should opt for Turkey.”

Osieck said there’d been a lot of pressure from Turkish media and supporters on Gulum to opt for a country where he earns his club living.

“Obviously now he wants to play for Turkey," said Osieck. "After seeing him play, I thought he’d be a good player down the road for Australia.

"He could play for another seven, eight years for Australia, so from that point of view, I feel really sorry it didn’t happen."

But Osieck said he respected the player’s decision.

He added: “As you know, in Turkey the father is a very important factor in decision-making ... it was his final call.”