Elmander wants to step out of the shadows for Sweden

The Wanderers striker is set to start tonight’s friendly against Italy in Rome — where talk of the Barcelona hitman’s impending international retirement has dominated the pre-match headlines.

Elmander recently bounced back to goalscoring form at the Reebok, scoring the Whites’ only goal in their 5-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

And with his chief rival for a starting place now considering turning his back on Sweden to concentrate on life in Spain’s La Liga with Barcelona, Elmander is determined to seize his chance to shine.

“I know I have a great chance now,” he said. “I do not know how long Zlatan will be gone and not if he comes back or not.

“Now it’s my chance to play and then I will show that yes, I’ll take it.”

Hamren replaced Lars Lagerback after Sweden’s failure to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, and his introduction could mean a different starting berth for Elmander.

The Whites star has been tipped to feature in behind a central striker — something quite different from the lone role he has been accustomed to at Wanderers.

“I can play as a number 10 or a number nine,” he said.

“I have played in both roles through my career and they are both very familiar to me.”

Also in international action tonight, Chung-Yong Lee should feature for South Korea as they face Serbia in the unfamiliar surroundings of Craven Cottage.

The Koreans are unbeaten in their last 27 international matches and are hoping to draw on the large number of ex-pats in West London for support in Fulham.

Last night, Ali Al-Habsi took part in Oman’s 2-0 defeat to Brazil while Fabrice Muamba played in England Under-21’s 0-0 draw with Lithuania in Vilnius.

The midfielder, who was substituted for West Ham’s Zavon Hines after 64 minutes, went close with a shot just after half-time but the ball went narrowly wide.

The result leaves Stuart Pearce’s men in second place in Group Nine of European Championship qualifying, with a game in hand.