The Everton midfielder fractured the fifth metatarsal on his left foot against Sheffield United at the start of March, having only recently returned from an 11-week lay-off with a knee injury.

Cahill, 27, did not feature for the remainder of the Premiership season as David Moyes' Toffees secured a place in next season's UEFA Cup, but should be available for Australia coach Graham Arnold for the opening Asian Cup game against Oman on July 8.

The former Sydney United and Millwall midfielder, who was the first player to ever score a goal for Australia in a World Cup finals match thanks to his 84th-minute strike against Japan in 2006, has been working in the gym since returning to Sydney and on Wednesday received encouraging news following a meeting with his specialist.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself too much, but I'm quietly confident, I'm happy," Cahill revealed. "Before I left England, there was quite a bit of a gap between the bone and the pin [in his foot], but these X-rays show a massive improvement. If anything, the bone looks as though it's healed over 80%.

"So I'll start running on Sunday. I hope to do a good 20 minutes, half an hour, so I can get the feel for it, and the biggest day will be Monday, to see how I pull up. But at the moment it feels fine, I've had no pain."

Everton head physiotherapist Mick Rathbone will also make a 48-hour visit to Sydney at the weekend to finalise the next phase of Cahill's rehabilitation programme.

"I've always been fresh and positive mentally, and now I'm just looking forward to the Asian Cup. It's not a Mickey Mouse tournament, this is one of the biggest tournaments outside the World Cup, and we've got a massive chance of some silverware," he added.

"Obviously the last 12 months haven't gone completely to plan, but I still played 16-18 games for Everton, scored seven goals, played in the World Cup and finished in the top 50 of the Ballon d'Or [European footballer of the year award]. That's my season, so things aren't so bad after all."

The Socceroos will face also Iraq and co-hosts Thailand in Group A of their first major tournament since reaching the second round of the World Cup last year.