Harry Kewell edged closer to a pre-World Cup playing comeback, but remains touch and go to see any on-field action before the Socceroos' opening match against Japan on June 12.

Already out of Sunday's friendly against Holland in Rotterdam as his groin injury heals, the Liverpool striker is hoping for action prior to the tournament in Australia's final lead-up match against Liechtenstein in Ulm, Germany, on June 7.

He took a solid step towards that goal in training, kicking a ball for the first time in yet another solo 90-minute session since his injury in the FA Cup final.

While his teammates are flogged mercilessly in tough twice-daily two-hour sessions, Kewell has trained lightly this week under the eye of Socceroos physiotherapist Les Gelis and conditioning guru Anthony Crea on an adjoining field.

Accompanied by the whirring of snapping cameras, the whispering of journalists - some specifically on "Harry-watch" - and the wittering of curious Dutch-based Liverpool fans, Kewell runs, and runs, and runs.

But his kick-around has at least added substance to the Socceroos' party line that he remains on track to play in the World Cup despite the torn groin muscle sustained in Liverpool's cup final win.

Now he has just 12 days to reach full fitness.

And importantly he has missed the intense physical work coach Guus Hiddink sees as crucial to his team's chances of causing the upsets it needs to go deep into the tournament.

With a healthy media contingent already around the Socceroos in Holland, the international media interest in them is set to ramp up from Thursday.

Dutch media are set to descend on Australia's training sessions later this week en masse to assess the Oranje's opponents ahead of Sunday's friendly, which holds significant interest because of the Hiddink factor.

And even more Japanese media - doubtless buoyed by their side's shock 2-2 friendly draw with Germany - are also Mierlo-bound to run the rule over the Socceroos prior to the World Cup opener.

The Japanese led 2-0 in Leverkusen, Germany, before two late German goals in the final 15 minutes squared things up.

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