"In this day and age, clubs take their time. There's a long way to go and a big process to go through, so I'm in no rush," he said after the Socceroos' 1-0 loss to China on Sunday night.

"I'm on holiday for a week or so and then I'll decide my future. But for now I'm just going to relax."

He described his Italian as "bad, very bad" but added about Rome: "It's a beautiful city. I've been there once when I was younger."

The now-former Liverpool star has been in stellar form with the armband over the last month as the Socceroos have negotiated a tricky four World Cup qualifiers home and abroad.

But Kewell, 29, is adamant his performances have not been about proving himself to Europe's elite.

"You know what? I never came here to prove anything to anyone," he said. "The only person I really wanted to prove anything to was my old manager [Rafael Benitez], just to show him I can play.

"Other than that I didn't want to prove anything, I just wanted to go out there and enjoy myself."