The 20-year-old kid - with just two Olyroos caps for his adopted country - has high hopes to match his 198cm frame, with Tokyo 2020 beckoning.

Yet, had he taken the path of older brother John Souttar - the Hearts stopper - he’d now be lost to Australia forever.

John, 22, pledged his international future to Scotland, for whom he has won three caps at senior level, to set up a lifelong family feud with his sibling.

Both are eligible for Australia through mother Heather, who is from Port Hedland in Western Australia.

Having represented Scotland at Under-17 and Under-19 level, Souttar said choosing Australia was a no-brainer, despite what outsiders might have thought.

On loan at League One Fleetwood Town from Stoke City, Football Federation Australia were alerted to Souttar’s availability for Australia by the Potters’ Socceroos goalkeeper Adam Federici.

“To some people my decision might have seemed a little bit surprising but to me, and anybody close to me, it was a natural one,” said centre-back Souttar, described as “a beast” by Australia coach Graham Arnold.

“With my mum being born there, it gave me that Australian connection growing up, even though I was in Scotland, and that feeling has always been with me.

“My loyalty has really always been to Australia, so when the opportunity came up I didn’t hesitate in saying yes.

“I’ve followed the Socceroos at World Cups and Asian Cups and always hoped to be pulling on that shirt one day.”

That time arrived at last month’s AFC Under-23 Championship qualifiers in Cambodia where Aberdeen-born Souttar shone against Chinese Taipei and Korea Republic as Arnold’s young guns stayed alive on the treacherous road to Tokyo by qualifying for the final step of the journey in Thailand next January.

Souttar arrived late into camp and had scant time to familiarise himself with his new teammates, with Arnold crafting a team of virtual strangers into a credible unit.

“He got us playing some pretty good football in a very short space of time, and considering that and the fact it was a new team that had to learn how to play together I thought we did really well,” Souttar said.

“That’s never an easy job for any coach and I think we all learned a lot and will hopefully have a few more camps, and more time together, heading towards Thailand so we can build on what we’ve done so far.

“We need to give ourselves the best possible change to get to the Olympics, and time together will be crucial.

“I thought the first-half in particular against South Korea (a 2-2 draw) was as well as I’ve seen any team play at youth level, and showed the potential this squad has.”

Souttar believes many of his international teammates are adept enough to be playing in England or elsewhere in Europe at a good level.

“I think a lot of Australian players are under-rated and under-appreciated,” he said.

“The ability is there and I think plenty of them are more than capable of performing in England or on the Continent. I see no reason why not.”

Having Socceroos coach Arnold at the helm was an added bonus for Souttar as he seeks to ultimately transition to the senior team.

Arnold likes what he’s seen, and former Dundee United rookie Souttar, who signed for Stoke in 2016 and joined the Cod Army on loan in January, sees the logic of him juggling the dual coaching roles.

“It’s great for the younger players that he’s taking such an active role in helping to bring us on,” Souttar said.

“It just goes to show the level of his commitment in wanting to identify the next generation of players and doing all he can to help us progress.

“I saw some reports of club coaches (in Australia) questioning why he called players into camp in Malaysia (ahead of last month’s qualifiers in Cambodia ) but to me it was the right thing to do.

“It was all about trying to build some continuity to give us the the best chance of reaching the Olympics.

“I’d love to go on and play for the Socceroos at some stage but right now the thought of going to the Olympic Games is huge for me and the rest of the boys.”

With six games left, Fleetwood - led by the charismatic and controversial Joey Barton - are 10 points off the play-offs, but Souttar, who has become an instant hit, isn’t giving up hope.

“We’re still a chance and we’ll keep pushing as hard as we can,” he said.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity the club has given me to play first team football, and should they want me back I’d be more than happy to return again next season.”