Harry Kewell has requested leave from Liverpool to attend a training camp with the Australian national team in Singapore, fuelling heightened speculation over his future.

The 29-year-old winger has started just nine times for Rafael Benitez's team this season - each time failing to complete the full 90 minutes - as he continues to struggle with persistent injury.

If he joins the Socceroos as expected, Kewell would miss Liverpool's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on March 23, and return just days before the Merseyside derby - following Australia's World Cup qualifier against China on March 26.

Benitez is unimpressed, and Kewell's £70,000-a-week contract appears unlikely to be renewed in the summer if the trip goes ahead.

Kewell's last first-team appearance came as a substitute in Liverpool's FA Cup humbling at the hands of Barnsley, after which he was returned to the reserves to recapture match fitness.

The former PFA Young Player of the Year (2000) joined Liverpool from Leeds United in 2003 for a fee of £5 million. Since his arrival, however, he has struggled to recapture the scintillating form of his youth, and been blighted by a seemingly endless run of injuries.

Will Tidey / Eurosport