The Socceroos have confirmed that Leckie will remain involved with the national side throughout the Asian Cup, in the view to bring him into the playing squad later in the tournament - although no timeframe has been reached yet.

Leckie left the pitch with a hamstring tear in Hertha Berlin's December 23 loss to Bayer Leverkusen, walking off the pitch on 54 minutes after a break in the match for treatment,.

“First and foremost I had to get the scan done to see if there was a chance," Leckie said. "Once there was I was straight over here and sat down with the physios, with ‘Colesy’ [Phil Coles], and set up a plan going forward.

"We are working really hard with the training sessions, taking it step by step, not rushing things, and so far the progress has been great.”



“I haven’t really torn a muscle like this in my hamstring, at least this bad, before. So, the process is all new to me. It started off just jogging and seeing how it goes and there’s improvements and the pain is going away.

"We are up to a pretty good [running] speed now, 25 kilometres an hour, a few run throughs and change of direction. It is just taking it day by day and stepping it up with sharper exercises, more speed.”

After establishing himself as first-choice right midfield throughout the 2017/18 season, the 27-year-old has been enduring a second season hangover at the Berlin club - Leckie played less than 90 minutes over the first 11 games this season.

Meanwhile the German first division's sole representatives of the nation's capital were flying, pushing as far as the top four. Leckie's sparse strike rate has previously been an issue, with the Aussie only hitting the back of the net once this season, with assists equally hard to come by.

But a sharp dip in form, culminating in a demolition at the hands of newly promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf, has prompted a shift change at the Olympiastadion with coach Pal Dardai making Leckie the principal benefactor.

The Australian started and played at least 80 minutes in each of Hertha's last four Bundesliga matches before his injury, roughly tripling his entire season's minutes until this point, and the timing couldn't be better - or more necessary - for his national team

With a dearth of game-winning quality across the forward third, Leckie's potential as a goal-scorer for the Socceroos (something few would have imagined 30 matches into the winger's career) has become crucial.

“I am very thankful that they [the coaching staff] have given me the opportunity," Leckie said.

"It is a decision that they had to make, and I am sure that it is not an easy one. I am blessed to have the opportunity and I will be giving everything to be back.”