Sam Kerr is stepping up her recovery from her long-standing knee injury at Chelsea as she joined the English champions on their mid-winter training camp in Portugal.
The Matildas' superstar captain Kerr hasn't been in a Chelsea squad in the last 12 months after she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at the equivalent warm-weather training break in Morocco last January.
Head coach Sonia Bompastor said last month the 31-year-old was expected to make her eagerly awaited return to action in either February or March.
Yet the news of her involvement in the Portugal camp prompted excitement among Blues' fans that she might be back even earlier than hoped. Â
But Chelsea say both Kerr and United States striker Mia Fishel, who's also on the trip after suffering her own ACL injury last February, won't be training with the rest of the squad as they concentrate on their own recovery.
And Kerr herself has made it clear she won't be rushing back until she is completely satisfied she is fully fit.
Though the Matildas' interim coach Tom Sermanni will be delighted she's back in training at Chelsea, February's She Believes Cup in the USA in February will surely come too soon for any prospect of a return with Chelsea doubtless wanting to ease her gently back into the fray.
It will also be no cakewalk for Kerr to get straight back into the team that she's graced for so long, with unbeaten Chelsea having won 15 out of all their 16 matches this term and having soared six points clear in the Women's Super League race in her absence.
They've also reached the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League with a perfect winning record.
But the sight of Kerr posing for photos with her star teammates Millie Bright, Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten - known as the club's 'Fantastic Four' - on the Chelsea's official X feed will delight the Blues' faithful.
After their training week in Portugal, Chelsea will resume action against Charlton in the fourth round of their Women's FA Cup defence at their Kingsmeadow home on Sunday, 12 January.
