RIO DE JANEIRO, June 15 — Ryan McGowan looks set to step into the right back role for Australia after Ivan Franjic’s World Cup was ended by a hamstring tear sustained in the Socceroos’ 3-1 defeat to Chile.

McGowan, who more usually plays at centre back, replaced Franjic soon after halftime in Cuiaba on Friday and coach Ange Postecoglou suggested he would get the starting role against the Netherlands in Porto Alegre on Wednesday.

“Ryan is a solution, there could be a couple of different things in the way we approach things,” he told reporters.

“Holland represents a different problem to Chile, so we’ll have a look in the next couple of days.”

Australia were largely encouraged by their battling performance against Chile but the Dutch will present a much greater challenge judging by their performance in the 5-1 win over world champions Spain in the Group B opener.

With his defence preparing to face a Dutch attack that ran rampant in Salvador, Postecoglou may end up regretting his last-minute decision to leave Luke Wilkshire, who has won 80 caps for his country at right back, out of his final 23-man squad.

McGowan has some experience of the role from his days at Hearts in Scotland but was given a torrid time by Brazil’s Neymar when he lined up on the right side of the defence in Australia’s 6-0 humbling in Brasilia last year.

Franjic, 26, admitted he was shattered after scans confirmed he had torn his left hamstring.

“Shattered to get the bad news that ends my @fifaworldcup but I would not change anything for the world,” he said on Instagram.

“Everything happens for a reason in life and this will only make me stronger. I will be standing by the boys all the way and still believe we can progress from the group stage.” — Reuters