Leckie to remain with Socceroos
Australia have confirmed winger Mat Leckie will stay in their squad for the Asian Cup, despite still being injured.
The 27-year-old suffered a hamstring injury when playing for his club Hertha Berlin last month before joining the Socceroos camp in the United Arab Emirates.
But coach Graham Arnold has ruled the player's recovery is progressing well enough that he'll remain with the team despite being unlikely to feature until the knockout stages.
Leckie said: "We are working really hard with the training sessions, taking it step by step, not rushing things, and so far the progress has been great."
It's the first time the player has suffered such an injury, and he added: "First and foremost I had to get the scan done to see if there was a chance. Once there I was straight over here and sat down with the physios, with 'Colesy' [Phil Coles], and set up a plan going forward.
"We are working really hard with the training sessions, taking it step by step, not rushing things, and so far the progress has been great. It started off just jogging and seeing how it goes and there's improvements and the pain is going away."
Leckie had established himself as a starter in the midfield for Hertha last season, but he played less than 90 minutes over the first 11 games of this term.
The Australian came back into favour with coach Pal Dardai in recent weeks and had started each of the team's last four games before being injured.
The Socceroos start their Asian Cup defence against Jordan on Sunday, with Palestine and Syria their other Group B opponents.
Australia are 4/11 to beat Jordan, who are 8/1 with the draw 7/2. The Socceroos are 9/2 to win 1-0.
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Australia have confirmed winger Mat Leckie will stay in their squad for the Asian Cup, despite still being injured.
The 27-year-old suffered a hamstring injury when playing for his club Hertha Berlin last month before joining the Socceroos camp in the United Arab Emirates.
But coach Graham Arnold has ruled the player's recovery is progressing well enough that he'll remain with the team despite being unlikely to feature until the knockout stages.
Leckie said: "We are working really hard with the training sessions, taking it step by step, not rushing things, and so far the progress has been great."
It's the first time the player has suffered such an injury, and he added: "First and foremost I had to get the scan done to see if there was a chance. Once there I was straight over here and sat down with the physios, with 'Colesy' [Phil Coles], and set up a plan going forward.
"We are working really hard with the training sessions, taking it step by step, not rushing things, and so far the progress has been great. It started off just jogging and seeing how it goes and there's improvements and the pain is going away."
Leckie had established himself as a starter in the midfield for Hertha last season, but he played less than 90 minutes over the first 11 games of this term.
The Australian came back into favour with coach Pal Dardai in recent weeks and had started each of the team's last four games before being injured.
The Socceroos start their Asian Cup defence against Jordan on Sunday, with Palestine and Syria their other Group B opponents.
Australia are 4/11 to beat Jordan, who are 8/1 with the draw 7/2. The Socceroos are 9/2 to win 1-0.
Source: bet365.com
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