The Australian, who had enjoyed a sparkling second half of the season, was hurt during Leeds' play-off failure against Millwall and there were fears he may have broken a bone in his ankle, but  tests have shown a badly-sprained joint.

It means Kilkenny should be fit to start pre-season training with his club in early July, although it dashes any hopes he may have had of some senior Socceroos action during 'super' June.

Manager Simon Grayson told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "It's good news for Neil in as much as he hasn't broken anything or done really serious damage and we're expecting him to be ready to start pre-season with the rest of the players.

"The ankle's badly sprained, so he's going to need a fair amount of treatment, but it doesn't look like it's going to be a problem for him or us."

Kilkenny will undergo surgery on his nose and mouth this summer to aid his breathing.