MELBOURNE: Chelsea striker Sam Kerr is expected to be fit to return to competitive soccer by next month but her future as Australia captain remains uncertain pending the outcome of her trial in London.
Some media pundits in Australia have called on Kerr to be stripped of the captaincy after she was accused of racially abusing a white police officer following a drunken dispute with a cab driver.
Kerr, 31, went on trial on Monday and has pleaded not guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment.
At a media conference on Tuesday, Australia interim coach Tom Sermanni declined to answer whether Kerr would lead the “Matildas” again.
“It’s difficult for me to answer that to be perfectly honest,” Sermanni said.
“Obviously with the court case that’s going on at the moment, it would be unwise of me to sort of comment on that and comment on the outcome, whatever the outcome might be.
“So I think it’s a case of waiting to see what happens and then move on from there.”
Sermanni made it clear he wanted the talismanic Kerr back in his squad, though, when recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
One of the world’s top female strikers and Australia’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals, Kerr has been sidelined since suffering the knee injury in Jan. 2024.
“My main aim as the head coach is hopefully to have Sam fit and healthy in as quick a time as possible,” said Sermanni.
“She’s in the process of coming back, but I would still suggest, from an injury perspective, it will probably be sometime in March before she’s back on the field.”
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With Kerr unavailable, Sermanni is glad to have forward Mary Fowler in good form ahead of this month’s SheBelieves Cup, an invitational tournament in the United States which will also feature the host nation, Colombia and Japan.
Fowler missed Australia’s season-ending friendlies last year while on a wellbeing break but has started the new year in fine touch for her club, scoring three goals for Manchester City in their last two Women’s Super League matches.
Sermanni named Fowler on Tuesday in a 23-woman squad for the SheBelieves Cup where Australia will kick off against Japan in Houston on Feb. 20.
Sermanni labelled Fowler a “world class footballer” but said she was still some way from her prime.
“I want her to really step up in the national team, and lead by how she plays in the games,” he added.
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