Why the Matildas won’t rush Sam Kerr’s return to the pitch – 10 months after she ruptured her ACL when training with Chelsea in Morocco

Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni has declared ‘there aren’t any real timelines’ when it comes to Sam Kerr’s return.

Kerr, 31, ruptured her ACL at a training camp in Morocco with Chelsea in January and admitted in a recent podcast on the BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly her recovery has been laboured.

The superstar striker also stated there is ‘a little bit more going on than the ACL’ without going into detail.

‘There aren’t any real timelines on her coming back,’ Sermanni told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘I have talked to Sam, and the key thing that I think everyone’s stressed – the Chelsea staff, the Chelsea medical people and their own people – is that it’s really important for Sam to take as long as it takes to make sure she comes back without cutting any corners.

‘The key premise in all of this is getting Sam back on the football field as safely as possible and to make sure when she comes back, she’s going to be back for a long time.’

Meanwhile, Sermanni will back a mixture of youth and experience in his first game at the helm when the Matildas tackle Switzerland at Zurich’s Stadion Letzigrund in a friendly on Saturday (5am AEDT).

The interim boss is anticipating a response against La Nati. 

Kerr, 31, ruptured her ACL at a training camp in Morocco with Chelsea in January and admitted in a recent podcast on the BBC ‘s Women’s Football Weekly her recovery has been laboured (pictured, with partner Kristie Mewis)

Tom Sermanni will be at the helm when the Matildas tackle Switzerland in Zurich in a friendly on Saturday (5am AEDT)

‘The team were hurt by what happened at the Olympics, and they are desperate to get back on a winning track,’ Sermanni said.

‘And all of that starts from the leaders and experienced players in this team, and we’ve got a great bunch of professionals.

‘And then in amongst that there’s a lot of young players coming into camp, some for the first time.

‘It’s important for us to create both a positive environment from the senior players’ perspective, but also an environment that welcomes the young players in so that they can be in a confident frame of mind.’

Sermanni also made it clear Manchester City young gun Fowler needs to be a pivotal part of the team going forward.

‘She’s an exceptional talent. There’s two or three exceptionally talented players in this team,’ he said.

‘One of my key focuses is for those players to really take their game to another level.’