18 Dec Schwarzer names his next Socceroos captain

Former Socceroo Mark Schwarzer has flagged Brighton goalkeeper Maty Ryan as the natural successor to Mark Milligan as Australian captain.

Milligan, who captained the men’s national football team on 19 occasions, announced his international retirement earlier this month.

He was just one of two players – the other being Tim Cahill – to be part of four World Cup squads.

Schwarzer endorsed Ryan, who is a regular in the English Premier League, as the next captain of Australia.

“Maty Ryan has done really well so far,” he said on SEN Summer Breakfast.

“He’s stood in a couple of times to be captain and he’s got the respect of his teammates. He’s playing at the very highest level and he’s been exceptional in the last couple of seasons.

“It’s kind of one of those ones where it’s kind of a natural progression and he’s the next one in line.

“You could argue that Trent Sainsbury is there, and he’s got really good leadership qualities and the respect from the group.

“The good thing for Graham Arnold is he’s got a few players to choose from, he’s got a couple of options and a couple of decisions to make.”

You can hear Mark Schwarzer's full chat on SEN Summer Breakfast in the player below