Kewell won't be a flying winger

Bernie Mandic, Kewell's controversial manager who helped broker the 25-year-old's move to Anfield from Leeds, insists that his client will rarely travel over two hours on a plane due to his troublesome ankle injury.

Critics in Kewell's homeland will undoubtedly point to the midfielder's presence in Bulgaria - a destination requiring a considerable flight - as a sure sign that his affinity to the Australian cause is taking a distance second to his Liverpool career.

Mandic said: "You'll find you'll hardly ever see Harry get on to a plane and go for more than a couple of hours."

When asked on SBS TV's World Sport if the situation would change once Kewell's ankle ailment was recovered, Mandic curtly repled: ""No, permanently, that's his condition, point blank. Why people imply that medical evidence is not enough to satisfy the criteria of whether someone can travel or not I have no idea."