The 23-year-old Hearts midfielder - man of the match in last weekend’s 2-0 win over 10-man Celtic - looked nailed on for Graham Arnold’s soon to be announced squad.

However, scans on Wednesday revealed a small hamstring tear which looks set to rule him out of action for around three weeks - meaning Nieuwenhof will also miss Hearts’ Scottish Cup quarter final against Greenock Morton and the Scottish Premiership clash with Ross County.

It’s anticipated he could be back for visit of Kilmarnock to Tynecastle Park at the end of the month.

A Socceroos call would have been a fitting reward for the former Western Sydney Wanderers man, who is already an integral cog in Tony Vidmar’s Olyroos squad.

After taking time to adapt to the frenetic pace and physicality of Scottish football, Nieuwenhof’s name is now one of the first on boss Steven Naismith’s team sheet each week, as he excels in a lineup which includes established Socceroos Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson and would-be green and gold regular Cameron Devlin.

The injury will be just a minor setback, even if the timing is unfortunate in terms of a Socceroos breakthrough for a player who brings both technical attributes and toughness to the table.

“It looks like a small hamstring strain - but hopefully I’ll be back soon,” Nieuwenhof told FTBL.

“I’ve been playing heaps (28 appearances in all competitions) and there’s still a lot to play for. I just want to keep putting in good performances and helping the team out for the rest of the season.

“It took a little a while to adapt - it’s my first time living away from home and it’s a big adjustment. In terms of football, it’s a very different style to Australia.

“It’s a lot quicker and more physical and that takes time to get used to. I think I’ve learned that over the course of this season. I think I’m starting to hit my stride now with consistent minutes and performances.

“There’s more scrutiny over here but I always try and block out any external noise and focus on what I can do to improve. I take all the advice I can from the coaches and teammates, their opinions mean a lot to me.”

Referring to the prospect of an elevation to the Socceroos inner sanctum, Nieuwenhof said: “With all the Aussie boys in the Hearts team having played for the Socceroos, I think I’m also in a really good place to achieve that.

“I think if I keep doing what I’m doing it’ll give me the best chance of eventually getting that call.

“I feel like I’ve added a bit more of an attacking side to my game here, especially in the last few weeks where the boss has given me more freedom to push forward, which I’ve really been enjoying.

“Coming to Hearts, for me, was all about getting the opportunity to bring out the best in myself.”

With Hearts sitting third, European football is a realistic objective, a prospect enhanced by defeating Celtic, albeit in controversial fashion with Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers fuming over the soft sending off of Hyun-Jun Yang and an equally contentious penalty awarded against his team..

Nieuwenhof, who provided the assist for Lawrence Shankland’s clincher, added: “There were a lot of questions being thrown around after the game but at the time I didn’t realise how controversial it all was.

“There were a lot of distractions in the game, and with a player getting sent off the match could have gone one of two ways.

“I think we played it out in a very professional manner and took our chances when we needed to.

“We’re happy with where we are - we’re looking up rather than down and the ultimate goal is locking up European football for next season.”