FC Utrecht winger Tommy Oar was pinching himself yesterday after being selected for Australia's provisional World Cup squad. The 18-year old former Brisbane Roar star has enjoyed a rollercoaster ride in the past 12 months which has seen him crowned as best young player in Australia and gain a Socceroos cap.
Now he has been picked in the best 31 players in the nation and is in with a big chance of making the final 23 for the World Cup in South Africa next month and he admits he can't really believe it.
"Things have happened very quickly and sometimes I have to pinch myself," Oar told The Daily Telgraph.
"But for me, I've seen how quickly things can turn around. So I've just tried to keep working hard and hope the good things keep happening."
Oar has been touted as the 'next Harry Kewell' and will be the youngest Aussie to play in a World Cup if things go well but he does not want to get caught up in all of that premature talk.
"You can't take too much notice of those things. If they happen, then fantastic," he said.
"You've just got to worry about your performances on the field. That's what I'll be doing over the next few weeks, working hard to try to get into the final 23.
"I started playing on the Gold Coast when I was about five or six years old, I used to go to watch my brothers play at a club called Palm Beach up there.
"That was what got me into the sport, and from there I went straight to the Queensland Academy of Sport and then the Roar."
And Oar admitted that he had been given no favours by Verbeek despite being the baby of the squad and was excited about meeting the European-based stars who he can learn so much from.
"Pim hasn't said anything to me personally but I think it's my responsibility anyway to handle that stuff," he said. "I'm lucky, I've had a lot of support from family and friends for that kind of stuff.
"The next few months will be a bit busy, that's true, but you can't look too far ahead. I can just take each day as it comes, work hard on the pitch and try to enjoy life off it.
"It'll be fantastic to meet the guys in the squad - I've looked up to most of them. So the chance to train with them will be amazing. I have to admit I had a few of them on my wall, I've always looked up to Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton."
