Australia coach hoping Cahill will make Asian Cup

MELBOURNE, Mar 5 (Reuters) Australia coach Graham Arnold said on Monday he hoped Tim Cahill would be fit for the Asian Cup despite a serious foot injury.

The 27-year-old Everton midfielder broke a metatarsal bone in his left foot when he landed awkwardly in the Premier League match against Sheffield United on Saturday and is unlikely to return for the Merseyside club this season.

Cahill had only returned from an 11-week lay-off after a knee injury in January.

''I believe that he's got a similar injury to what Wayne Rooney had before the World Cup last year,'' Arnold said in a teleconference today.

''It's probably an eight to 10-week injury, so if that's the case he'll probably miss the rest of the season for Everton.

''I've had contact with Timmy himself and he's trying to be quite positive about it all and says he'll be ready for the Asian Cup. But we've got a bit of time on our side for him to get ready.'' Australia have been drawn in Group A at the Asian Cup alongside Oman, Iraq and Thailand. The tournament starts on July 7, with Australia opening their campaign a day later against Oman in Bangkok.

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