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The clubless midfielder denied speculation linking him with a move to Sydney FC, but was positive about his recovery from long-term injury

Jason Culina is ready to return ahead of the 2012 A-League season after enduring the toughest 18 months of his professional career.

The club-less 31-year-old says he's close to regaining full fitness after recovering from two major surgeries and is hopeful of securing a deal and returning in the early stages of the A-League season.

"Whether it's the first game of the season or the fifth, I'm not sure," Culina says.

"I can't put a timeframe on this sort of injury and recovery. You don't see progress week-to-week.

"It's more every couple of weeks, so if I was to say I'd be ready for the first game of the season - I wouldn't put my money on it but I'd like to be there or thereabouts."

The former Gold Coast United midfielder lit up the A-League in his first two seasons in the domestic competition but his move to the Newcastle Jets fell flat when his father and then-Jets coach, Branko, was sacked on the eve of the 2011 season due to controversy surrounding Culina's injury.

Once a mainstay in the national set-up, Culina's vision and technical ability on the ball have also been sorely missed in the A-League, with the former Ajax and PSV midfielder now training with Sydney FC head physio Stan Ivancic.

That move has led to speculation he is on the verge of signing with the Sky Blues, but Culina says his future still remains unclear.

"I've been training with Stan - he used to be my physio at Sydney United back in the day in the old NSL, 15 years ago," Culina said.

"When I got back to Sydney he was the one who offered his support. So I've been working on my fitness and recovery with him, not actually with Sydney FC.

"I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing.

"At the moment I'm still focused on my rehab. I'm probably a good month or two off actually joining a team and starting training. I'd be looking too far ahead to say I'll be going here or there."

With the highly publicised legal action regarding his sacking from the Jets involving the Professional Footballers Association and Football Federation Australia finally dropped in June, Culina said he was happy to move forward.

"Definitely, that was another hurdle that needed to be jumped. It's not easy when you're trying to deal with a serious injury and the rehab but also all that other stuff," Culina admitted.