McGowan, who four years ago provided the pass for Tim Cahill's World Cup wonder strike against the Netherlands, has had to watch this year's edition from afar.

The 28-year-old defender sustained the knee injury while playing his third game for League One club Bradford City in February following his January move from UAE club Al Sharjah.

McGowan had engineered the move to boost his 2018 World Cup hopes and impressed early with the Bantams before injury intervened, dashing his chances.

He took to social media to celebrate his return to full training this week, having not played since February 13.

 

Buzzing to be back with the lads ⚽️

A post shared by Ryan McGowan (@ryanmcgowan89) on

McGowan is a contender to be part of new coach Graham Arnold's squad for the 2019 Asian Cup defence in January.

The former Australia youth international captain's experience in UAE, where the Asian Cup will be held, may aid his chances.