Scout - Adam Taggart

The World Cup Scout checks out striker Adam Taggart, who is hoping to make the Australia squad.

In the build-up to the World Cup finals, the Sky Sports Scout will be taking a closer look at up-and-coming players staking a claim for national-team action this summer. The Scout is on the hunt for talented stars of tomorrow who could shine in Brazil and make a name for themselves on the biggest stage. Using the world's leading scouting resource Wyscout (for more information, read our full feature here), he will seek to highlight each selected player's key qualities and provide some additional background knowledge. Some of the youngsters chosen will be contenders for FIFA's Best Young Player Award at the World Cup, won in previous tournaments by Germany duo Thomas Muller (2010) and Lukas Podolski (2006). Those born on or after 1 January 1993 are eligible for this honour. You can nominate a player by emailing here, and please check our archive to make sure we have not already covered the player). You can also interact with the Scout via his Twitter feed, @SkySportsScout. On the Scout's radar in this report is Australia striker Adam Taggart.

The Scout reports...

If you listen to some pundits - such as former Australia captain Paul Wade - the Socceroos are in for a miserable World Cup campaign. Wade has gone on record with his fears that the national team will get "absolutely smashed" in Group B, which contains 2010 finalists Spain and the Netherlands and also Chile, ranked 13th in the world by FIFA. The Aussies are way down in 59th in those rankings, so progress to the round of 16 does seem unlikely. However, the main aim for coach Ange Postecoglou, who only replaced Holgier Osieck in October after qualification had been achieved, is to blood some young players in preparation for January's AFC Asian Cup tournament on home soil. With that in mind, Adam Taggart is a serious contender to make the Socceroos' final cut for Brazil, having finished as top scorer in the A-League campaign just gone. The talented striker, who will celebrate his 21st birthday early next month, has only won four senior caps to date but has made a huge impact at club level, despite the Newcastle Jets failing to make the post-season play-offs. Taggart had only scored three goals in the Australian top-flight before last November, but his match-winner away to Adelaide United (a cheeky chipped finish over goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, now a Socceroos squad-mate) was the start of a hot streak that saw him amass 16 goals in 25 appearances for the Jets - almost half of their total league tally. That sort of strike rate begs attention in itself, but it was the diversity of Taggart's goals - and particularly his long-range shooting ability - that has helped usher him towards the World Cup finals. Australia are sure to need the odd bolt from the blue if they are to have any chance of