Kye Rowles and Nathaniel Atkinson have been called up to the Australia squad for next month’s Asian Cup – but Cammy Devlin and Calem Nieuwenhof, their fellow Aussies at Tynecastle Park, missed the cut.

The tournament, which is held in Qatar and runs throughout winter, meaning the Heart of Midlothian duo could each miss a significant chunk of the season, depending on how the Socceroos fare.

Graham Arnold’s men begin the group stage against India on 13 January before taking on Syria on 18 January, with both matches being held in Al Rayyan. Australia play their final group stage game against Uzbekistan in Al Wakrah five days later.

The round of 16 fixtures are then played from 28-31 January, and the quarter-finals take place between 2 and 3 February. The semi-finals are scheduled for 6/7 February, with the final being held at the Lusail Stadium on 10 February. The Premiership enters its two-week winter break on 2 January before Hearts return to action in the Scottish Cup against Spartans on 20 January.

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Rowles and Atkinson will miss the cup tie at Ainslie Park and even if Australia are eliminated in the group stage, which is unlikely, neither player will return in time for the subsequent league outings against Dundee (23/1) and Aberdeen (27/1).

Should the Aussies make it all the way to the final, then Rowles and Atkinson would also miss the following two league matches – a trip to Dens Park (3/2) and a visit to McDiarmid Park (7/2) – as well as the fifth round of the Scottish Cup (10/2), should Hearts progress.

Rowles will be hoping to add to his 13 caps at the tournament, while Atkinson will be looking to build on his eight appearances for his national team.

Devlin, twice capped for Australia, was effectively ruled out of contention after the 25-year-old picked up an ankle injury in Hearts’ 1-0 win at Rugby Park earlier this month, and is not expected to return to fitness until after the winter break. Nieuwenhof, meanwhile, has never been capped for the senior squad but is a regular fixture for Australia Under-23s.