Ipswich Town: Cameron Burgess named in Australia squad for Asian Cup

With the competition running from January 10 to February 12, the 28-year-old will definitely be absent for Championship games against Sunderland (h) and Leicester (a) and, depending on how far the Socceroos progress, could also miss Rotherham (h), Preston (a), West Brom (h) and Millwall (a).

Australia - who won the tournament in 2015 before reaching the quarter-finals in 2019 - face Uzbekistan, Syria and India in the group stages.

Burgess, who was born in Scotland but lived in Australia from the age of 10 to 16 after his family emigrated there, will be looking to add to the three caps he has picked up since September.

Camerin Burgess has been a key part of Town's success this season (Image: Ross Halls)
“It will be bittersweet a little bit but obviously it is something that I am very proud to be able to do," he said, referencing the fact he will miss a crucial period in Ipswich's push for back-to-back promotions into the Premier League.

"But at the same time it has been the things I’ve done with my teammates and coaches here that have got me to that level and that stage, for which I owe them a lot.

“So, while it’s a little bit bittersweet, I have all the faith in the world that if I’m not going to be here for a little bit of time, I know they will do their utmost in my absence.”

Burgess has started 20 of Town's 22 league games so far this season. Town's other centre-back options are Luke Woolfenden, Axel Tuanzebe and George Edmundson, while midfielder Dominic Ball is also capable of playing there.

Massimo Luongo would also have been in the mix for the Australian squad, but decided to retire from international football this week (Image: PA)
Midfielder Massimo Luongo, who recently earned an Australia recall after a four-year absence, announced earlier this week that he had retired from international duty. The 31-year-old said in a statement that he's 'got to prioritise managing my body as my career goes on'.

Asked if Australia could win the tournament, Burgess replied: "That’s the aim. Ever since I’ve been involved with the Australian national side, we’ve played some big opponents. Our attitude is much the same as it is here at Ipswich – we’ll take anyone on and I think we’ve shown that in our performances since I’ve been involved.

“So, yes, I’m confident enough that we can go and do the best we can in the tournament. Obviously, nothing is handed to you, but something we’ll look to do as a team is to attack in every game and look to get as far as we can in the tournament and hopefully go and win it.”

Elkan Baggott will likely also be in Qatar, representing Indonesia (Image: Stephen Waller)
Another Ipswich centre-back who looks like he'll be in Qatar is Elkan Baggott. The 21-year-old has been named in Indonesia's preliminary squad for a pre-tournament training camp.

“I think there is a chance that we could end up facing each other," laughed Burgess. “That would be an interesting one for both of us and I’m hoping that Elkan and his team can have a good tournament as well. It’s something we are both looking forward to.”

It remains to be seen whether Town's influential skipper Sam Morsy is included in the Egypt squad for the African Cup of Nations that runs from January 13 to February 11 in the Ivory Coast.

The 32-year-old has been named in the Pharaoh's preliminary squad, but that has been the case multiple times in the past before he's been left out.

Town skipper Sam Morsy could get called up by Egypt (Image: Ross Halls)
He was recalled to the international set-up in September to earn his eighth and ninth caps, but was then left out of squads for the October and November games.

Speaking recently, the Blues captain said he was unclear as to whether he'd be selected, saying: “Obviously, I didn’t get called up to the last one, which showed where I’m at at the minute. But you never know, we’ll see what happens."