Nathaniel Atkinson has revealed Kye Rowles is aiming to get four games in for Hearts ahead of the World Cup with Australia.
The Jambos defender - who signed from Central Coast Mariners in the summer following John Souttar's pre-contract move to Rangers - had been a key player in Robbie Neilson's backline alongside Craig Halkett before injuries stuck the duo. The 24-year-old is currently on crutches while he continues his recovery with his club boss eyeing up a return in the coming weeks.
The Socceroos are in the World Cup Finals this coming November and international and club team-mate Atkinson hailed Rowles as the 'best player' in qualifying and after his start in the capital he believes he is a cert to land a spot in Graham Arnold's squad. They come up against France, Denmark and Tunisia in their section at Qatar 2022. Rowles misses out of the double-header with New Zealand during this international break with former Hibs star Jason Cummings one of the new faces included. It gives a final chance to impress ahead of the final selection.
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Explaining all about his pals rehabilitation plan, Atkinson told Edinburgh Evening News: “Kye is strong mentally. It’s unfortunate for him to have picked up an injury at this stage, but he’s been blessed by the predicted timeframe because he is hoping to be back in time to get three or four games for Hearts under his belt before the World Cup.
“I think he was probably the best Socceroos player in the qualifiers. The way he started the season at Hearts showed that he is definitely going to be a walk-in for the Socceroos. But he’s staying positive and he knows he has something to work towards.
“I had the same situation a year ago with the Olympics and I’ve spoken to him about it, so he definitely knows it is possible to come back strong.
“He’s still on his crutches, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks he’ll be weight-bearing and then after that it's just about managing the pain. He’ll be back running and he’ll be back playing before you know it.”
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