Sam Kerr emerges with a bandaged calf and a noticeable limp after the World Cup withdrawal, as the Socceroos great tells Matildas to make her miss one more match.

Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has declared she will be “fine” after a calf injury sidelined her from Australia’s World Cup opening game on Thursday against the Republic of Ireland.

Pictures emerged on Friday of Kerr, 29, with a bandaged calf and a noticeable limp as he left a Sydney hotel.

She confirmed she is feeling well and confident of overcoming injury, her appearance coming as Socceroos great Robbie Slater suggested the captain rest for three games instead of the two she was supposed to miss, meaning she wouldn’t play until the World Cup round of 16.

“We want, and need, Kerr to be fit for the knockout stages of the tournament,” he said. news corporation

To ensure that, he should not play in Australia’s remaining Group B matches against Nigeria and Canada.

Pictures emerged on Friday of Kerr, 29, with a bandaged calf (pictured left) and a noticeable limp as he left a Sydney hotel.

Sam Kerr’s calf will be a big talking point during the Women’s World Cup

‘[For me]The Matildas have enough depth to finish in the top two of Pool B, if they don’t win it.

“Soft tissue injuries can be tricky, so Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has to be smart in deciding when Kerr should return.

He can’t let the emotion get the better of him. There is no need to rush Kerr back.

Reserve captain Steph Catley, who scored the game-winner from the penalty spot in a 1-0 win over Girls in Green, said Kerr missing the tournament opener on home soil was “one of the most heartbreaking moments of my career.”

Sam is one of the best players in the world. She is our spiritual leader. She means a lot to this team’, said the left back.

“So for her to go down a day before a moment like this was pretty horrible, but as a team, it added something to us, added a little bit of extra fire.”

They all looked at him and said, “Well, I have to step up now because we don’t have Sam.” We talked about it and we did very well.

Socceroos great Robbie Slater urged manager Tony Gustavsson to be patient with his captain’s recovery and ensure she is not used until the round of 16.

The forward showed a dejected figure when she returned to the bench after halftime on Thursday night.

Steph Catley (seen celebrating her penalty goal) said the Matildas were excited to meet Kerr as they got off to a winning start at the World Cup.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese greets Sam Kerr on the sidelines after the 1-0 win over Ireland

Catley also insisted that Kerr, Australia’s all-time top scorer with 63 goals in 121 games, will continue to play a crucial role while injured.

“Sam is still around, he still has his effect on the team,” he said.

He’s at every meeting. She’s there at halftime talking to everyone, she’s giving the pregame talk and she’s still with us.

So we’ll do everything we can to get as far as possible and then hopefully we’ll see Sam later on.

‘While you may miss it, you still have a role. She is huge to us and she is so, so important.

“She is our spiritual leader and any role she plays will be huge.”