Sam Kerr is set to play for the Matildas this month for the first time in almost two years, with coach Joe Montemurro intent on “integrating” the fit-again striker back into the national squad in plenty of time for March’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
And in further good news for the Matildas ahead of their bid for continental glory, star playmaker Mary Fowler is on target to return from a knee reconstruction for her English club side Manchester City late next month.
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“She is going really well, and hopefully at the end of the year we’ll see her getting some game time at City,” said Montemurro, who will visit Fowler in Manchester next week.
“She’s pretty much fully into the recovery. They (Manchester City) are at that crucial point now where they probably starting to push her a little bit more, which is great.
“She’s travelling really well, and fingers crossed, the Asian Cup is looking really, really positive from that perspective.”
Montemurro was also thrilled for Kerr, whose most recent appearance for Australia was on November 1, 2023, when she scored in a 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei in Perth.
She subsequently ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee in January 2024, with setbacks in her recovery meaning she didn’t play again until coming off the bench – and scoring – in her club Chelsea’s 3-1 English Women’s Super League win over Aston Villa on September 14.
Since then, Kerr has made three more appearances off the bench for the Blues, who are taking a cautious approach with her return.
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“It’s great to see her back,” Montemurro said ahead of the Matildas’ games against Wales (October 26 AEDT, Cardiff) and England (October 29 AEDT, Derby).
“I’ve had a few discussions with her, and I think the great thing is that she’s really got an enthusiasm and a real passion back for the game.
“That’s the first and foremost important part of that, and we’ll definitely do the right thing by her in terms of integrating her.
“She hasn’t played 90 minutes yet, so we’ll just see getting closer to camp what sort of minutes we believe is going to be the best for her so that we make this (international) return perfect both from a football and a mental perspective, and that we make sure that she does the right things.
“The biggest thing before was the communication with the (Chelsea) coaches and her, and to make sure that we do the right the right thing for her minutes.”
As for whether Kerr – who hopes for more game time in Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League clash with Dutch club Twente on Thursday morning (AEDT) – regains the captaincy from star defender Steph Catley, Montemurro said it had yet to be discussed.
“The focus has been getting the squad to a point where we want to and everyone’s on board with that,” he said.
“The captaincy will be assessed once we get closer to the first game (against Wales).”