No certainty on Kerr’s full Matildas return
Anna Harrington |
Injured Matildas captain Sam Kerr remains a “camp by camp” proposition and could yet look to complete pre-season with Chelsea before fully returning to the international fray.
Interim boss Tom Sermanni has also given expected new coach Joe Montemurro a ringing endorsement as he prepares for what are likely his final two games at the helm.
Kerr hasn’t played at any level since rupturing her ACL at a Chelsea training camp in January 2024.
She was called into Matildas camp in March and April in a training capacity but was not selected for upcoming friendlies against Argentina in Melbourne and Canberra.
“She’s tracking pretty well, but she’s not just quite ready yet to come in and play,” Sermanni said.
“From our situation, it’s a camp by camp sort of scenario.
“Obviously, for Chelsea, now they’re at the end of their season, so now they’ll be looking at her coming back and ready for the pre-season to start next season.”
Kerr’s partner, American international Kristie Mewis, recently gave birth to the couple’s first child, son Jagger.
Sermanni said he and Kerr were “constantly in communication” while the Matildas had a physiotherapist in London doing “a significant amount of work” with the striker, in conjunction with Chelsea.
With the Blues’ domestic season over, Kerr could return to play via the Matildas.
But more likely, she will get back into full pre-season training with her club to build her loads first.
“That’s one of the scenarios, and probably not a bad one. I think that will depend on Sam and Chelsea,” Sermanni said.
“So it could be that Chelsea say, well, if – and I’m saying if – that Sam feels that she’s ready, and they feel that she’s ready to come back for our next window, whether they think, ‘well, it’d be good for you to come and get some game time. That might happen.
“If, on the other hand, they say, look, we just want her now to take this time get her preparation really well done, so that come the start of pre-season, she’s ready to go. That’s, I would say, probably a more likely scenario.
“But again that’s something that I can’t answer specifically.”
Sermanni will take charge of this camp, but Lyon boss Montemurro is expected to sign on officially as the new coach after that.
“Joe would do fantastic in the job,” Sermanni said when asked about the Melburnian.
“He knows the players intimately. He’s coached at the highest level for a very long time. And he’s been extraordinarily successful.
“There’ll be no issue with Joe coming in and doing the job very, very well.”
Arsenal stars Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross are due to fly out to Melbourne after Saturday’s Champions League final against Barcelona in Lisbon.
Ellie Carpenter and Katrina Gorry miss through personal leave while Mackenzie Arnold (lower leg), Tameka Yallop (hamstring) and Hayley Raso (quad) are sidelined.
Central Coast dynamo Isabel Gomez has been called up, while Calgary Wild FC striker Kahli Johnson could also debut.
Holly McNamara has been named and is expected to be fit after suffering concussion and a broken nose while playing for Melbourne City.
Attacking midfielder Amy Sayer returns for her first camp since her ACL tear last May.
AAP
