McKay relishes new lease on life

Matt McKay is looking forward to enjoying his football again after leaving Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai.

Matt McKay is looking forward to enjoying his football again after leaving Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai.

McKay, 30, departed Changchun by mutual consent last week after the club's latest signings pushed them over their limit of five foreign players.

The former Brisbane Roar and Glasgow Rangers man captained Australia in their last match of the East Asian Cup on Sunday, a 4-3 defeat to China.

Speaking after the game, which left Australia bottom of the four-team competition with just a point to their name, McKay said he had been determined not to let the uncertainty over his playing future become a distraction.

"I didn't want to think about my club stuff during this tournament," he said.

"Now it's [over] I can head back to China now, pack up my things and head back to Australia to decide my future.

"I've already got a bit of interest but I'll wait and make the right choice for myself. I want to play the national team, I want to go to the World Cup, so that decision will be based on that.

"My club future will sort itself out. I'm not worried about that. I'll find a good club, I'll play and I'll enjoy my football again. I think that's the most important thing."

McKay, who confirmed he had already received expressions of interest in his services from the Hyundai A-League and overseas, paid tribute to the efforts of the relatively inexperienced Socceroos squad Holger Osieck selected for the tournament in South Korea.

"I thought the boys, considering most of them are coming from the A-League off-season, they've done themselves really proud," he said.

"They can take a lot of pride in their work-rate and also in their performance.

"At times we played some good stuff but then we ran out of legs. International football is tough and they're learning that."

"It's a bright future for a lot of them. They're very young ... it's for them to step up to that next level, push the senior guys."