'Aren't any real timelines': Interim Matildas coach unsure when Sam Kerr will make injury return

Stand-in Matildas coach Tom Sermanni is unsure when the Australian team can expect to have inspirational striker Sam Kerr back in its line-up.

The Matildas are still without Kerr as she continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered at the beginning of the year.

Sermanni previously said he was in talks to have Kerr join the Matildas camp in Europe to spend some time with her teammates.

READ MORE: Scandal erupts as F1 rivals slam 'outrageous' cheating

READ MORE: 'Go away, David': Brutal reaction to Warner offer

READ MORE: Clarke pleads with selectors over Test 'mistake'

But on Thursday, he revealed no timeline had been set by the Matildas, nor her English club Chelsea, for her return to the pitch.

"There aren't any real timelines on her coming back, and I have spoken to Sam," he said.

"The key thing that everyone stressed, the Chelsea staff, the Chelsea medical people and her own people is that it's really important for Sam to take as long as it takes to make sure she comes back fully without cutting any corners and that's the process she's taking.

"At the moment she's in the midst of that and having some important parts of her treatment. So at this stage, she won't be joining us on this tour, but what happens later in the year we'll address at that time because I honestly don't know.

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

While time frames for recovery from ACL injuries vary, the average return to play sits at around 12 months.

Worryingly for Kerr, in an interview with the BBC's Women's Football Weekly podcast this month, the 31-year-old admitted she was working through "a little bit more going on than the ACL".

Sermanni also conveyed his side's desperation to get back to the winner's circle after a disappointing Olympic campaign.

Sermanni made a return to the Matildas' coaching ranks in September following the departure of Tony Gustavsson in early August.

This marks the 70-year-old's third crack at the top job having previously managed the national side for three years from 1994 before again taking charge in 2005 for a seven-year stint.

Sermanni's temporary appointment will cover the October international window and friendly matches at home in Australia in December if needed.

But as Football Australia continues its search for a permanent solution, the process has played out in clear contrast to how quickly Tony Popovic was appointed as former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold's successor.

With friendly fixtures against Switzerland and Germany in the coming week, Sermanni hopes the Matildas can get back to the winning ways that catapulted them into the semi finals of last year's FIFA Women's World Cup.

"I think there're two things I'm looking towards in this camp. One is for the team to put in a really good, solid, positive performance to bring back that confidence in the team," he said.

"But at the same time, it's really important to get results. So if someone gave me the choice now, 'Do you want the good performance or the result?' right at this time I'd say the result.

"This team is fairly desperate to get back on a winning track again."

Gustavsson and the Matildas parted ways following the side's disappointing early exit at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The team failed to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament after losses to Germany and the US saw them finish third in their group.

This included the 3-0 loss to Germany in their Olympic opener which Sermanni hopes they can find a positive response to in their rematch on Tuesday morning AEDT.

"I think the team was a bit beaten up after the outcome of the Olympics, there's no point in denying that and the confidence in the group was a bit low because this team has high expectations," he said.

"Athletes are a resilient bunch, to play at the top level you have to be resilient, you have to come back after bad results or bad tournaments.

"To be honest, I think the team did come into camp feeling a little bit low but a couple of days on the training field with everybody back together again, from my perspective, has been very positive."