Australia's Harry Kewell Returns To Full Training

Chipperfield says teammate will be ready for Germany match.



Australia has received a massive boost ahead of the opening match of its World Cup campaign with Germany, with Harry Kewell returning to full training.

The Galatasaray star has been struggling with a groin injury since the turn of the year and there were fears that he might not even be available for the World Cup in South Africa.

However, he appears to be on his way to full recovery after some concerted individual work within the Socceroo camp, shielded by manager Pim Verbeek from media inquisitions.

The media infatuation with Kewell is reflective of his continued star power and has been a point of criticism from the Dutch coach, who recently snapped at continued questioning about the player's physical state.

His fellow teammates appear to be rather more open though, with veteran Scott Chipperfield - who played with Kewell at the 2006 World Cup in Germany - confident the attacker will be ready for the groups stages.

"He's been working hard alone, but he's looking in good shape and I'm sure he'll be ready for the Germany game," Chipperfield said.

"I'm not sure if he'll play any time on Saturday against the Americans, but of course he's important for our team."

Australia are tipped by the Castrol Group Predictor to have a 47.7% chance of reaching the knockout stages.