Midfielder is more concerned with reaching the Premier League rather than the World Cup.
Australia midfielder Rhys Williams insists his sole focus is on reaching the Premier League with Middlesbrough next season and not the World Cup.
The 25-year-old became known as the “kid who missed the World Cup” in his home country after an untimely injury robbed him of the chance to represent the Socceroos at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
Most international players across the globe will spend the campaign hoping to earn a seat on the plane to Brazil next year but Williams admits his priorities lie in regaining a starting place at Boro and helping Tony Mowbray’s side escape a division, in which they’ve spent the last four seasons.
“Of course I’d love to play in it but first things first – I need to perform and get back into the Middlesbrough team,” Williams told the Journal.
“I’m known by a few people back home simply because I missed out on the last World Cup squad. That’s not a nice tag to have, but it’s not my major motivation this season.
“I think missing out on the squad at the end of last season was really the icing on the cake of a season that didn’t really go very well for me.
“I wasn’t working hard enough for myself and I wasn’t working hard enough for my team-mates so I probably didn’t deserve it.
“My priority lies with Middlesbrough. That’s the most important thing – I owe it to them and I owe it to my team-mates to come back and give more to the cause than I did last year. Getting us out of this division is my goal this year.”
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