A World Cup bolter?

Neil Kilkenny, the Birmingham City midfielder, could be a shock call-up to Australia's World Cup squad. Born in Enfield, England but raised in Brisbane, Australia, the Socceroos officials have only recently discovered the 20 year old has an Australian passport.

With a name like Kilkenny it is no surprise the 20 year old is eligible to play for both Ireland and England. He has already represented both countries at youth level, but none of his caps have so far come in competitive games and so he is eligible to switch.

Australian assistant coach Graham Arnold has confirmed that Guus Hiddink will decide whether Kilkenny pulls on the green and gold shirt.

"I've spoken to his dad and I've spoken to Neil and they're both very, very keen," Socceroos assistant coach Graham Arnold said.

"There’s no guarantee but we're putting together a DVD to show Guus Hiddink and see what he thinks."

Kilkenny, a goal scoring midfielder, moved to Birmingham City from Arsenal's highly rated Academy and manager Steve Bruce believes he is a player of great quality and he remains an exciting new talent.

It was Socceroo veteran and Birmingham team-mate, Stan Lazaridis, who stumbled upon Kilkenny's eligibility.

"It was a chance conversation, really, because I never really knew his background until a couple of months ago," Lazaridis explained.

"But when I met his parents they told me how Neil had been brought up in Brisbane, they told me he had an Aussie passport, so I made a couple of calls back home to let people know.

"It's a bit of good news, really. He's a real footballer, and he can be a big part of the next generation, definitely. I mean, he wants to play for Australia, so what have we got to lose?"