He won't close the door completely on realising his World Cup dream but Western Sydney recruit Rhys Williams says, for now, his Socceroos career is over.
Williams was so highly touted as a teenager he was the target of a tug-of-war between Australia and Wales before opting to play for the country of his birth in 2009.
Debuting later that year against Japan, Williams was picked in the preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa only to be subsequently ruled out due to injury.
Another injury wrecked his 2014 World Cup hopes before he was overlooked entirely for the preliminary list for the 2018 tournament in Russia despite having just won the A-League championship with Melbourne Victory.
After two seasons with Saudi club Al-Qadsiah, Williams has returned to Australia with the Wanderers on a two-year deal but the move isn't about forcing his way back into the Socceroos picture.
"I'm at a stage now where I've spoken to Arnie (coach Graham Arnold) and pulled my name out of the hat," Williams told AAP.
"I was on standby a lot of the time and right now at my age and with a family I don't want to be in the middle of here or there.
"If he ever needs me, of course I would gladly put my hand up ... you never know what the future holds of course - it would always be nice to play at a World Cup - but ultimately he's got his players that he likes and he trusts and he's had a good spell with them now."
Williams is one of several new arrivals at the Wanderers as coach Carl Robinson overhauls his squad following a fourth-consecutive campaign for the club without finals in 2020-21.
And while he's officially out of Socceroos reckoning at this stage, the 32-year-old says a good season in red and black could end that exodus.
"As everyone knows, the obvious thing is if you're doing well for your club then things open up and people start paying attention," Williams said.
"My main thing is to concentrate on my club football. Do the best I can for this club because we need a big season for the size of this football club - right now that's my only priority, to get fit and do well for this club."
