HARRY KEWELL is set to miss Leeds United's New Year's Day game against Middlesbrough in a blip on the road to full recovery from Achilles surgery.

The gifted Aussie has made three starts and three substitute appearances since going under the knife last summer, but Achilles and calf problems caused him to be withdrawn during the defeat at Newcastle on Boxing Day.

Kewell has understandably struggled to recapture the dazzling form that catapulted him into the superstar bracket before his operation, and he would have been counted out of today's postponed game at Everton.

Manager David O'Leary explained: "Harry missed an entire pre-season. In those circumstances it is very difficult for any player to catch up on his fitness until the next pre-season's training.

"Harry has set such high standards that people are jumping on his back, saying he is not doing this and not doing that, but when you are out for so long it takes time to get back to full fitness and you are always likely to pick up niggling injuries along the way."

O'Leary has long been critical of the demands placed on players by the heavy Premiership programme, but he was sorry to see today's Goodison fixture called off. "I wanted us to return to action quickly and get back to winning ways as soon as possible after our poor performance at Newcastle," he said.

"We were deservedly beaten and out-battled all over the pitch. It has been a very disjointed season for us, with so many injuries to contend with, and apart from the Champions League, which has been an amazing bonus, I haven't enjoyed it.

"With all those injuries I thought to myself that this might be a season to just dig in and take the blows on the chin."

Some of the fans who were hailing O'Leary a hero after Champions League successes against AC Milan and Lazio are calling for his head after four league defeats out of five, but the Irishman isn't surprised by the fickle nature of the critics.

He said: "You will be a very lucky manager if you get through this job without taking stick, or a vote of confidence or the sack. I have been in football long enough to know people are very fickle. You are brilliant one minute and then.... That's life. It is part and parcel of the job."

Leeds completed the £3.6million sale of Darren Huckerby to Manchester City yesterday and O'Leary said: "With Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane I have four quality strikers, so I was able to let Darren go. Selling Matthew Jones to Leicester and Darren to Manchester City has enabled us to put some money back in the pot after bringing in Rio Ferdinand and Robbie Keane."