Sheffield Wednesday man talked up for possible international return in World Cup year

The influential Owls man, whose presence in midfield has transformed Wednesday’s season, last made an international squad in October 2019, with the last of his 42 caps arriving in the January of that year.

Now Aussie boss Graham Arnold is fielding questions as to whether he might be tempted to bring Luongo in from the wilderness after such a long time away.

With the Qatar World Cup scheduled to take place at the end of the year, it would be an opportune time for the Sydney-born 29-year-old to get back in.

“It's great that Mass is back,” Arnold told AAP.

“For me the most important thing for that kid now is that he's gone through a tough time with getting injuries, the most important thing is that kid's healthy again.

“He's fit again. He's happy again and he's back playing.”

Asked whether Luongo is likely to feature in his plans for forthcoming squads, Arnold wouldn’t be drawn.

“Everyone talks about all these different players,” he said. “I'm only allowed to pick 23.”

Australia’s next round of fixtures arrives towards the end of March in the form of World Cup qualifiers at home to Japan and away to Saudi Arabia.

A call-up for Luongo could spark scheduling problems for Wednesday, who are down to play against Cheltenham Town on March 26.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell is likely to gain a call-up for Northern Ireland’s matches against Luxembourg and Hungary. If three players or more receive international call-ups, League One clubs have the option of postponing clashing fixtures.

“Every call-up I’ve been injured,” Luongo told The Star in November. “In the very first international window with Wednesday I was fit and I went, but every other time whether it was a two-week injury or a long injury, I wasn’t able to go.

“I’m not expecting anything but I’d love to be a part of it all, especially in a World Cup year, but I’m really not expecting anything.

“I just want to play football and get back to doing what I love doing. The rest is a bonus.”