ROB Stanton believes Apostolos Stamatelopoulos deserves to be on the radar of Socceoos coach Graham Arnold.
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And a strong performance by the Jets striker for the A-League All-Stars against English Premier League side Newcastle United on Friday night will only increase his stocks.
Stanton is an assistant coach for the All-Stars under Patrick Kisnorbo.
The squad assembles in Melbourne on Tuesday ahead of the exhibition match with the EPL heavyweights at Marvel Stadium.
Stamatelopoulos, who scored a club record 17 goals, and A-League Golden Boot Adam Taggart will spearhead the attack.
"It is a great opportunity for Stamma and reward for his efforts this season," Stanton said. "Hopefully he is on course to make the national team at some point. This is a chance to perform on a big stage."
It is the second time Stanton has been involved with the All-Stars, after assisting Dwight Yorke in a 3-2 loss to Barcelona in 2022.
"It is a good week. It's an opportunity work with some different people," he said. "I enjoyed it last time and learnt a lot.
"I have put together a set piece presentation already and had a look at the opposition and how they play.
"You have a short turnaround and have to make the information really clear for the players. It's similar to working with a national team. You come in for a short period and have to implement something quick. It will be interesting and bit of fun."
The All-Stars squad was finalised on Monday and included the addition of five Wellington players after their semi-final defeat to Victory.
Bulgarian playmaker Bozhidar Kraev heads the list, while Sydney FC trio Luke Brattan, Rhyan Grant and Jordan Courtney-Perkins were also added following their semi-final loss to the Mariners.
The squad includes seven players aged 23 and under, including Bayern-Munich bound Nestory Irankunda.
Newcastle departed for Australia on Monday after completing the Premier League season with a 4-2 win over Brentford to finish seventh.
Meanwhile, Stanton confirmed that his assistant at the Jets, Damir Prodanovic, would agreed to stay at the club. There were reports last month that the highly regarded coach was headed back to Sydney.
"It is great to have Damir on board next season," Stanton said. "We work well together. He has the respect of the players and has developed a strong rapport with them. I have invested a lot of time in his development."
Goalkeeping coach Chris Bowling will also continue. However, operations manager Eli Babalj has departed.
AAP reports: Kisnorbo has refused to publicly rule himself in or out of the running for the vacant Western Sydney Wanderers job.
The Wanderers are on the hunt for a new coach following Marko Rudan's departure last week for personal reasons.
Former Melbourne City boss Kisnorbo heads a strong list of free agents with ALM experience, along with ex-Central Coast manager Nick Montgomery.
Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic, whose side takes on the Mariners in Saturday's grand final, is yet to agree to a new contract.
Kisnorbo has been out of action since he was sacked by Troyes last November following a disastrous stint at the French club.
ALL STARS SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Alex Paulsen (Phoenix), Lawrence Thomas (Wanderers)
Defenders: Kai Trewin (Roar), Jordan Courtney-Perkins (Sydney), Rhyan Grant (Sydney, Tim Payne (Phoenix), Scott Wootton (Phoenix), Marcelo (Wanderers), Ben Garuccio (Western)
Midfielders: Jay O'Shea (Roar), Jake Hollman (Bulls), Tolgay Arslan (City), Luke Brattan (Sydney), Bozhidar Kraev (Phoenix), Ben Old (Phoenix), Angus Thurgate (Western)
Forwards: Nestory Irankunda (Adelaide), Mathew Leckie (City), Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (Jets), Adam Taggart (Glory), Nicolas Milanovic (Wanderers).
