Seven weeks ago, Tim Cahill injured his right knee. Fortunately, he just finished his first full training session on Monday and he is to bounce back and recover.

The 26-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament injury while playing for Everton in April and his participation in the FIFA World Cup™ was thought to be in doubt. However, the midfielder has made a swift recovery and looked sharp as he took part in a rigorous workout under the watchful eye of Australia coach Guus Hiddink and assistant Johan Neeskens.

“I’m not going to count my chickens, and it is still a race against time to get fully fit, but it is good to be back,'’ said Cahill. “It has been five and a half weeks post-injury, so I’m feeling good.

“There’s still a chance that it might recur - so I have to take it easy and see how it goes. I need a week to really get a feel for how it is going.”

Australia will begin their FIFA World Cup campaign with a match against Japan on 12 June in Kaiserslautern.