New Zealand (66/1 to win Group F) midfielder Tim Brown will not find out if he can play in the World Cup until the day before the tournament starts.
Brown said at a press conference that he will make the decision about whether he is fit enough to play, following a recovery period for his fractured shoulder that was operated on this week.
“I think on June 10th they’re going to make a decision. Until then, I don’t know, I’m just going to work as hard as I can on rehab,” said Brown.
“It’ll be a combination of both [Brown's and doctors' evaluations], it’s going to be a moment of real honesty from me, giving my best advice and making the best decision. We’ll have a chat about it.
“The one thing from my point of view is when I make that decision I’ll make the right one. And that’s not going to be one for me, it’s one for the team.
“I do believe if I’m fit I can contribute, and if I’m fit I can help them. If not, I won’t. I just don’t think it’s fair. We’ve worked hard to build a culture of real honesty and togetherness and if I go over there and I’m not right I think I do a bit of disservice to my mates and to the shirt.”
The Wellington Phoenix man says even if he is not available to the All Whites, it will not be a terminal blow to their chances. (New Zealand 12/1 to qualify from Group F)
“To be perfectly honest I’m not critical to the team, it’s not a Dan Carter or a Ryan Nelsen situation,” he said.
“I think I’ve got stuff to offer, a lot to offer, but I’ll only go if I feel I can offer 100 percent. To go and offer 80 percent or 75 percent, I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”
The surgery saw doctors insert three screws into his fractured bone, but the recovery is going as well as possible, says Brown, who hopes to be back in the gym over the weekend.
He said: “The surgery went, by all accounts, amazingly well, which has given me a big, big chance. All the muscles and ligaments are intact.”
The 29-year-old suffered a fractured right shoulder during the All White’s 2-1 friendly defeat to Australia (125/1 to win World Cup 2010) in Melbourne on Monday.
Brown was rated a “50-50″ chance before the operation and surgeon Stu Walsh offered a positive prognosis, albeit without ensuring his fitness for South Africa, after revealing Thursday’s operation had gone well.
“It is still too early to comment on his chances of being available for the World Cup at this stage,” Walsh said.
“That will depend on how quickly he heals and how well he progresses through rehabilitation. The usual recovery time for this type of injury is three to six weeks, depending on the individual, and it can occasionally be much longer.
“However, Tim is a strong and fit athlete, who is very motivated and looks after himself well, which will benefit his recovery.
“We are therefore optimistic about the prognosis.”
Coach Ricki Herbert feels the squad is well prepared now they have arrived in their pre-World Cup base, and said: “Psychologically we’re really in that World Cup mode now.
“We’ve got teams like England and Japan preparing [in Austria] so there’s a real sense that we’re back on the world stage again.”