Hearts are unlikely to let Calem Nieuwenhof represent the Australia Under-23 national team should the Olyroos call the in-form midfielder up for next month’s qualifiers for the Olympics.

Tony Vidmar’s team have three ties in six days at the AFC U-23 Championships, which also act as a route to this summer’s Paris Games. They take on Jordan on April 15, Indonesia on April 18 and Qatar on April 21 and Nieuwenhof, who was tipped for a full call-up into the Australia squad in this window, is eligible to represent the Aussies. However, his Hearts boss Steven Naismith is very reluctant to sanction international commitments given that Hearts have a Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden on April 21.

When the scenario was put to him, Naismith responded: "I'm not sure. We'd have too many big games coming up at that point. He's been valuable for us. I'm not sure that's something we could sanction, really.”

Hearts' Calem Nieuwenhof was on the cusp of a call-up for Australia this month.

Australia manager Graham Arnold revealed earlier this month that clubs were putting pressure on their players to snub Australia call-ups. “I think a lot of people need to understand the pressure the players get put under from their clubs overseas,” Arnold said. “To play for Australia is a lot. Tony Vidmar is getting quite a number of overseas-based clubs refusing to release players in April so it’ll be predominantly players from the A-League.”

Nieuwenhof is currently recovering from a minor hamstring injury and Naismith believes he would have been in the full Australia squad for this current window had he been fit. The Socceroos defeated Lebanon 2-0 in Parramatta on Thursday, with Jambos centre-half Kye Rowles among the scorers, and Naismith said: “I think he [Nieuwenhof] would have been [in the squad]. I've said it for the last month. I think Airdrie in the cup was the first time I mentioned it – I think he'll make a squad within the season. From the moment he's come in as a regular in our team, he's been the most consistent performer. I think it's a matter of time. He's got so much quality. He's taken his time to settle in and I think the Australian national team know him from the youth set-ups. Tony Vidmar has come to see him throughout the season and even the conversations with him were that he was one of the ones pinpointed to be next in. It's unfortunate that he's injured because I think he would have made this squad.”

Hearts to snub Calem Nieuwenhof Australia advances - 'I'm not sure that's something we could sanction'