Speaking in Perth today, Verbeek admitted he wouldn't have gambled on the fitness of any of his other 30 players selected in the preliminary squad, but that Kewell, who has played only two minutes of football this year, is an exception.

"I've spoken about Harry Kewell and I'm willing to speak about Harry again," said Verbeek. "Harry is special, so you can always take a risk with one player like him.

"If Harry is fit then he can be a special player for the team, so I will take a risk with Harry."

While Kewell is currently not fit and will likely miss the Socceroos' warm-up camp in Melbourne, Verbeek remains convinced that by June 13, he will be ready to go.

"Harry will be fit for the World Cup. People can think what they like, but Harry will be fit," he said.

Verbeek needs to trim his squad down to 23 by June 1 and said that quality and fitness are the two key areas he will make a judgement on.

"First of course is quality, second is that I'll try to pick two players for every position," he said. "If you have a few players who can play several positions, that's an advantage for those players, because that's always what you need.

"We also have to find out if they are physically ready to do a job in the World Cup."

But he indicated that reputations, with the exception of Kewell, will count for nothing in his final selection.

"The past is not important, at the moment, it's about the future and the future is that in four weeks time, you start to play the World Cup. I know about their qualities, that's a different story," he said.

With Kewell's fitness under cloud, Verbeek may need to keep his attacking options open. He gave a strong indication that former Perth Glory striker Nikita Rukavytsya could be on the plane to South Africa.

"He's doing very well. He's a player who can bring something special. I'm very happy to have him in the final 30 and I think he is a big chance to be in the final 23. He's fast, he's scoring goals and he's working for 90 minutes," he said.

"I can understand that while here Belgian football might not be on Fox, but I promise you he is doing well. He is very well respected in Belgian football. That's the kind of player we need at the World Cup.

"I give him a big chance, but he needs to show himself."