Rukavytsya will be a team player
NIKITA Rukavytsya will put personal glory on the backburner when the Socceroos tackle South Korea tonight.
The former Perth Glory striker, who now plays in the German Bundesliga with Mainz, has not hit the back of the net for Australia in nine games since making his debut in 2009.
But while the Ukrainian-born 25-year-old said he would love to break his duck for his adopted country, he said it was more important to be a team player if given the chance by coach Holger Osieck.
"Obviously it would be great to score," Rukavytsya said.
"But if the team plays well, that's the most important thing to me."
Rukavytsya was with Hertha Berlin last year, but this season made the switch to Mainz.
He has had a slight change of roles with his new club and said he hoped playing on the wing would add an extra dimension to his game.
Socceroos coach Holger Osieck is likely to use the match to give more game time to the likes of overseas-based Tommy Oar, James Holland and Adam Sarota.
