MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Sam Kerr will miss another international window while recovering from a long-term knee injury, but Australia’s interim coach Tom Sermanni hopes the Chelsea striker will come to camp anyway to inspire her teammates.
Kerr was sidelined during the Paris Olympics, where the Matildas crashed out of the group stage, and was absent from Sermanni’s first squad announced on Friday for this month’s friendlies against Switzerland and Germany.
Sermanni said he had spoken to Kerr about joining her teammates for training camps in Europe and the conversation was ongoing.
“She’s still recovering from her injury and quite rightly taking time to recover. It is really important that she doesn’t try to cut corners and come back too quickly,” Sermanni told Australian media.
“What happens is some players will walk across hot coals to come into camp regardless of their condition. Some who are injured often don’t like to be in the team environment, so we’re having that discussion at the moment.”
Kerr, one of the world’s most recognisable women footballers and a sporting idol in her home nation, is set to face trial next year after being charged with racially aggravated harassment of a London police officer in an incident nearly two years ago.
Sermanni, however, said the 31-year-old was in a good place mentally.
“She seemed fine,” he said.
“There’s not a lot that gets Sam down. She’s a very upbeat character, very positive. And she was in a good frame of mind.”
After reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup, Australia fell back to earth at Paris, triggering a storm of criticism and the departure of former coach Tony Gustavsson.
Sermanni, 70, admitted he was surprised to be coaching the team for a third time after a previous stint in the 1990s and from 2005-12.
“If someone had told me that, I would have probably thought they were kind of a little bit mad,” said the former United States women’s coach.
“I want us to get back to what makes the Matildas, the Matildas. And that is … the ability to play dynamic, attacking football.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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