Coach makes difficult Sam Kerr admission as sad news drops

The truth about Sam Kerr’s future has slipped out with her coach dropping news her fans desperately didn’t want to hear.

Sam Kerr fans have been dealt more bad news with the Matildas captain’s coach dropping a reality check on Friday night.

Kerr’s Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor has confirmed the star striker is still several weeks away from returning to the field — leaving her in danger of missing the entire Women’s Super League season.

The 31-year-old joined the Matildas in camp for their matches against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle after Football Australia ruled that no further action should be taken after she was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.

She hasn’t played since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee in January, 2024.

Her return to the Australian squad had led to hope she was not far away from being on the field, however, Bompastor’s comments dash any hope of Kerr featuring in her club’s crucial upcoming fixtures.

She said Kerr’s return to the national squad had been an important step for her in trying to return to the field — but her comments suggest there is still a long way to go.

“It was really important for her,” Bompastor said, per AAP.

“First of all, mentally, because she had the chance to be around the national team, which is really important for her, and also she could see her family, which is really nice to have the opportunity to do.”

Sam Kerr greets teammates after the South Korea fixture. Photo by David GRAY / AFP.

But as for Kerr’s return to action, it’s now been 14 months since she suffered her ACL injury on a training camp and Bompastor admitted: “We’re still a few weeks away from Sam returning fully on the pitch, so it’s difficult to put a timeframe on it.”

It is now difficult to see Kerr make a meaningful contribution to Chelsea before their season wraps up on May 10.

The club is also still in contention for the FA Cup. The final for the knockout tournament is scheduled for May 18.

The club also has blockbuster Champions League semi-final fixtures against Barcelona on April 21 and 27. The Women’s Champions League final is May 25.

After such a long stint on the sideline, the odds are not in Kerr’s favour to immediately find the form that has made her one of the best players on the planet.

Kerr has spent more than 14 months on the sideline with ACL injuries typically taking between nine and 12 months before players return.

However, it is common for some players to spend much longer than that trying to rediscover their top form.

Sam Kerr has a long road ahead.

That has huge ramifications for the Matildas, who are next in action against Argentina in Melbourne on May 30.

Without any club football, Kerr would be heading into that blockbuster at Marvel Stadium without having any match fitness.

Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni has always followed Chelsea’s lead when it comes to assessing Kerr’s possible return.

The interim manager recently said ongoing speculation about Kerr’s captaincy of the national team has been “irrelevant”.

Steph Catley was widely applauded for her job in leading the team, but Football Australia has not shown any signs Kerr could lose the top job.

Kerr also appears to have the full support of her teammates to remain in the role.

Matildas vice-captain Emily van Egmond was two weeks ago asked about Kerr’s standing as the national team captain and immediately put the issue to bed.

“She definitely should not be stepping down,” van Egmond said.

“I think the federation have come out and said what they needed to say and Sammy has had her say as well.”

She went on to say: “Sammy’s been such an important figure for this team for x amount of years now, and a few of us have obviously grown up together and spent the juniors up until now together, and the first thing is removing Sam Kerr the footballer, to Sam Kerr the human being, and just making sure that she was okay.

“I think she’s just really happy, honestly, to be here. It’s been so long. She’s a big personality.

“She only helps the team in positive ways, so for us it’s really, really nice just to see her here again and be a part of the group.”