Injured Juric hopes to be back in six weeks

Australia striker Tomi Juric is hoping to kick a ball in anger again in six weeks after suffering an injury in a training camp in Portugal.

Tomi Juric hopes to be playing again by late February. Source: Getty Images Europe

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Juric was sent back to the Netherlands from his Dutch club Roda JC Kerkrade's winter training camp.

The 24-year-old, who finished 2015 in a blaze of goals, suffered a knee ligament injury during a five-a-side game.

"After my short holiday in Croatia I joined up with the squad and flew to Portugal for a mid-season training camp," Juric said.

"We were playing five versus five and I had just played a ball when I felt something in my right knee.

"Later tests showed that I had injured my lateral ligament."

The club, which will resume its Eredivisie campaign at the weekend when it takes on AZ at home, has said that Juric could out for four to six weeks.

"I certainly hope I'll be ready to go again in six weeks," he said.

If everything goes well for Juric he could be fit to play again by the end of February which means he could be in contention for a spot in Ange Postecoglou's Socceroos squad for the two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.

Australia play Tajikistan in Adelaide in Adelaide on 24 March and Jordan five days later at an undecided venue.

Juric's injury has come at a bad time for the former Western Sydney Wanderers star who moved to Holland in the last European off-season.

Roda are in the lower half of the Dutch table and Juric's seven goals in 12 league and cup games have given the club strong hope of survival.

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