Rufer ready for restart

Wellington Phoenix will have their captain back on deck when the A-League Men season resumes following a four-week hiatus.

Midfielder Alex Rufer says he is ‘‘knocking on the door’’ for selection and could feature against Western Sydney Wanderers in Wollongong tomorrow after recovering from a serious knee injury he sustained back in March.

The central midfielder tore his anterior cruciate ligament while attempting to make a tackle during a match against Brisbane Roar.

But despite initial fears he would be sidelined for an entire year, Rufer has made it back four months ahead of schedule.

He said keeping a positive mindset was the key.

‘‘It’s been a really, really tough year for me. Obviously I started the year well and had an unfortunate injury but I’ve maintained my positivity throughout and it’s just another hurdle that I’ve jumped over. Now I’m back and I’m feeling good,’’ Rufer said.

Rufer made a low-key return to football via a rare National League hit-out with the Phoenix reserve team last month.

Although his time on the pitch was fleeting, taken off after just 30 minutes, Rufer said the exercise was all about regaining confidence in his knee. ‘‘I’m knocking on the door now. I played some minutes with the reserve team last weekend and I’m feeling really good.’’

Although Saturday’s match is being played in New South Wales, it is a home game for the Phoenix.

They decided to take a game back to Wollongong as a thank you for hosting the team while they were based in Australia during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

uThe Phoenix have been worked hard by coach Ufuk Talay during the World Cup break and Rufer said they were determined to be ready after coughing up two late goals to lose their last match against Western United.

The Wanderers have been one of the early pacesetters, picking up four wins from their first six games.