my liverpool fc

HARRY KEWELL scrapped plans for a holiday in favour of a summer of hard slog as he attempts to salvage his Liverpool career.

The 28-year-old is desperate to repay the continued faith shown by manager Rafael Benitez after an injury-ravaged 12 months.

After Australia’s defeat to Japan at the weekend, Kewell swapped the Asian Cup for the Asia Trophy by flying from Vietnam straight to Liverpool’s pre-season tour in Hong Kong.

The winger then played 55 minutes of the 3-1 win over South China in Tuesday’s semi-final.

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Kewell, who is hopeful of another outing in today’s final against Portsmouth, has less than 12 months remaining on his contract and has yet to be offered a new deal.

And the Australian acknowledges the clutch of new arrivals at Anfield means he cannot afford to waste any opportunity to impress.

“I was always going to meet up with the team as soon as we got knocked out – that was the agreement that we had with the manager and Australia,” said Kewell.

“I had to get back because we’ve got some greater players here, some new signings and you’ve got to fight for your position early on in the season.

“I'm desperate to do that. It would have been a bit of shifty move to go all the way back to England and then not met up with the team.

“I’ve got one year left (on my contract) and I just want to play for Liverpool and hopefully help the team push for the title.

“I suppose I could have had a holiday but I play for Liverpool Football Club and it’s a big thing being at this club this season and you have to work hard and be pushing for your position all the time so it was really important for me to get back.”

A series of injury concerns sparked by a toe problem at last summer’s World Cup meant Kewell played only 77 minutes for Liverpool during the campaign, with 33 of those coming as a second-half substitute in the Champions League final against AC Milan.

However, Kewell appeared in all four of Australia’s games in the Asian Cup this month and added: “I’m relieved to be back because obviously last year I was away most of the time getting treatment for injuries. It’s just great to be playing again.

“I did have moments of despair last season but I have a strong family behind me, a good medical staff, a fantastic manager and a great club so at times when you are down and out you just look to that support and thankfully I’ve always had it.”

Kewell reveals the support shown by Benitez in particular provided an important psychological boost in his fight to regain full fitness.

“It’s very important to have a manager who believes in you,” said Kewell, who was lively in last night’s training session at the Mongkok Stadium. “A lot of people doubted him but he stood by me which shows he has great faith in me and I just want to repay him for that.”

Benitez believes the availability of a fit-again Kewell will be like “another new signing”, saying: “When you look around the market place, it is clear that there are not many wingers with Harry's quality and that is why it is so important for us to have him back.”

SIR ALEX FERGUSON expects Liverpool to push Manchester United all the way for the title this season.

The Red Devils manager is ready for a pulsating four-way tussle for the Premier League, with all of last season’s top four having strengthened their squads over the summer.

Liverpool have signed strikers Fernando Torres, Andriy Voronin and Ryan Babel plus Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun so Ferguson is wary of the Anfield side’s hunger for their first title since 1990.

He said: “There is no gap between the top four teams. We are happy with the signings we have made and we have a great chance but there is no complacency in terms of the challenge we will face from other clubs.

“Liverpool have bought five players, Arsenal have two or three and while Chelsea have only actually bought one, they have added a few others.

“It just tells you what a great desire there is amongst us all to win the Premier League.”

Given this year’s champions will almost certainly need to amass a minimum 90 points from their 38 games, Ferguson is understandably hoping to begin the campaign in winning form.

“I felt confident about last season but I also felt we needed to make a good start to show we could live with Chelsea,” he said. “That was the big test because Chelsea had set the benchmark by getting off to a good start, then maintaining it for the whole season. To achieve that helped us enormously and from about 30 weeks into the season, we held on to the number one spot which, with a young team, is not particularly easy.”

Kewell predicting a bright future

HE may have missed one of the biggest penalties of his career but Liverpool’s Harry Kewell believes there are enough green shoots coming through of a new generation for the Socceroos to take heart from the Asian Cup quarter-final loss to Japan. Kewell said. "The young players have come in and played really well. The future’s bright - it’s good to see the young talent’s in there, willing to participate in the big games."

HARRY KEWELL has admitted that thoughts of giving up football crossed his mind during his latest battle against injury.

The Liverpool winger now hopes the stop-start nature of his career over the past two years is behind him as he prepares to represent his country in the Asian Cup next month.

Kewell was restricted to just tree appearances at the back end of last season for Liverpool – his first action since sustaining a foot injury in last year’s World Cup in Germany.

After a torn adductor muscle curtailed his involvement in the Champions League final victory over AC Milan in 2005, Kewell returned to something like his best when he made his comeback the following autumn and his form continued into Australia’s qualification from the group phase of the World Cup.

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But after going back to square one when he was ruled out for most of last season, the 28-year-old confessed that he feared his latest injury might just be one recovery too many.

“Thoughts like that did creep into my mind,” said the Australian winger. “There were fleeting thoughts.

“You get over one injury and then another one appears and all of a sudden you’re wound up in one big mess and you think, ‘am I ever going to be the same?’

“But I had a strong team behind me, strong family behind me and I had fantastic people working with me 24/7.

“And from the confidence I had from them, that pulled me through.”

Kewell is now poised for his international comeback on Saturday when Australia take on Singapore in a warm-up game. Their first ever Asian Cup campaign kicks off a week on Sunday when Oman are Australia’s first opponents in a group that also includes Iraq and one of the four hosts, Thailand.

And Kewell, who scored the equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Croatia that took Australia to the knock-out phase in Germany last year, is ready to make a similar impact on the international stage once more.

“I feel great,” he said. “It’s hard work out here.

“It’s very hot, very humid but the team is looking well, the team’s looking fit and everything’s going well,” he said.

“Hopefully I can get a run out but we’ll just have to wait and see. We’re just working hard.

“We’re feeling great and Training’s going good for me, I’m pulling up good.”

Kewell also thinks that getting in some games in July will assist his pre-season preparations and sharpen him up for returning to the Liverpool fold after the tournament.

He added: “It’s the first pre-season I’ve done in probably a couple of years so my body is a bit stiff, but no less stiff than anyone else’s and it’s to be expected.

“I’ve just got to roll with it. I’ve got to take my time and make my way into the game.

“It’s going to be fun. I haven’t been out for this long and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’ve been off for 12 months now and you almost claim that as a little retirement. It’s rested my body, mentally and physically.

“Obviously with the injuries I was still working but to just step back and watch games was good for me, to step back and relax a little bit.”

I DON'T think Harry Kewell is lazy and just after the money.

Alex Ferguson is supposed to have asked him before he signed for Liverpool to go to United instead (probably with a big pay rise!) but he still chose us.

The reason was he wanted to play for Liverpool.

If a player wants to play for us and has the talent then we should keep him. He's been so unlucky with injuries and that affects players psychologically as well.

If everyone gets behind every member of the team, including Kewell - and don't start complaining after every poor performance - I guarantee that they will play better.

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That's all Kewell needs - a good, injury free run and some confidence back. I think he'll be one of our players of next season.

Brian Patterson, Formby

KEWELL has been unlucky with injuries.

He has talent to burn, but not too much has been burnt in the cause of Liverpool FC yet.

Brian Skinner, Huyton

THERE'S a big difference between price and value ...

The fact we are not in for a £17m player like Bent doesn't mean we can't afford him. It simply means he is not representing value for the money asked.

The same with Malouda. Lyon placed a tag of £17m on him, but there's no way we will pay so much for him.

But if we get Tevez or Torres for £17m, that is value for money, and a good return on our investment.

Chris Knightley, Crosby

BELLAMY is proven in the Premiership and has pace, but is not a great player.

He has the capability to be far better and could have scored more goals if he used his pace at the right time.

Italy could make him better, but we do not need him.

John Hurst, Birkenhead

I WOULD be happy if Bellamy stayed. He's got bags of talent.

He's hardly had a fair shot under Rafa. Then again, how can anyone get a fair shot under Rafa with his rotation policy? It's brutal at times.

Richard Galbraith, Childwall