HARRY KEWELL has targeted Liverpool’s Champions League showdown with Barcelona next month for his long-awaited comeback.
The Australian has not made an appearance at any level since scoring the goal against Croatia that put his country through to the knockout stages of the World Cup in June.
Kewell has since undergone a series of operations in Sydney to save his career, having surgery on both feet and also his groin before returning to England in November to continue his rehabilitation.
His last appearance for Liverpool was in the FA Cup final against West Ham United last May in which the forward was forced off through injury.
But the 28-year-old has now started running and has set his sights on being fit in time for the visit to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona on February 21.
“I think the desperation to play gets cranked up a little now that I am back here at Liverpool,” he said.
“I know I am getting closer but I’m so keen to get back into it now that it can’t come quickly enough for me. This is the frustrating stage, when it’s close enough that you start to get your hopes up.
“It is gutting seeing the boys play and knowing that you can’t be part of it – just yet.”
Kewell added: “I hope that I’m about three or four weeks away from being fully fit.
“I’m under the supervision of the medical team here and the surgeons who operated on me, so once they are all happy with the running then I can start on ball work and once that is going well, it is up to the manager when he decides I’m ready to return.
“I’ve been back in England since the middle of November, and it’s getting harder and harder. The lads are great here, they’re always asking when I’m going to be ready and how I’m going but you can’t really feel part of it unless you’re getting your shirt dirty with them at the weekend.”
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