Article
Cahill steps up recovery ahead of Asian Cup
SYDNEY (AFP) - Injured Everton midfielder Tim Cahill says he has received encouraging news on his broken foot and will start running this weekend as he works towards playing for Australia in July's Asian Cup.
The 27-year-old Cahill, a key member of the Socceroos, fractured a metatarsal in his left foot against Sheffield United in early March, and now rates his recovery progress at 80 percent.
Cahill received good news Wednesday from a specialist about his injury, enough for Everton to send their head physiotherapist to Sydney to finalise the next phase of Cahill's rehabilitation programme, reports said Thursday.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself too much, but I'm quietly confident, I'm happy," Cahill told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Before I left England, there was quite a bit of a gap between the bone and the pin (in his foot), but these X-rays show a massive improvement. If anything, the bone looks as though it's healed over 80 percent.
"So I'll start running on Sunday. I hope to do a good 20 minutes, half an hour, so I can get the feel for it, and the biggest day will be Monday, to see how I pull up. But at the moment it feels fine, I've had no pain.
"I've always been fresh and positive mentally, and now I'm just looking forward to the Asian Cup.
"This is one of the biggest tournaments outside the World Cup, and we've got a massive chance of some silverware."
Cahill, who created Australian football history when he scored his country's first-ever goal at the World Cup in the 3-1 win over Japan in Kaiserslautern, is looking to get over his injury setback.
"Obviously, the last 12 months haven't gone completely to plan, but I still played 16-18 games for Everton, scored seven goals," he said.
"I played in the World Cup and finished in the top 50 of the Ballon d'Or (European footballer of the year award). That's my season, so things aren't so bad after all."
Cahill has been bulking up in the gym as he recovers from his broken foot, and since his return to Sydney has been fishing regularly and working on some future junior development projects.
Australia are in a Bangkok-based pool for the Asian Cup that also includes Thailand, Oman and Iraq, with their first game against Oman on July 8.
They play warm-up matches against Uruguay on June 2 and Singapore on June 30.
Comments (0)