Khano Smith is close to a month away from full fitness and will not play any part in the New England Revolution?s tour to Bermuda.

This according to Rev?s chief trainer Steven Glazier, who told yesterday that the towering Bermuda international?s recovery from knee surgery has been slower than expected and that his return to training will not be for at least another two weeks.

?He?s coming along and we?ve been spending a lot of time on the bike in the gym getting the strength back into his knee,? Glazier said.

?At the moment it is all gym work and he hasn?t done any running on it. It?s always difficult to predict exactly when somebody is going to be ready to play again but we?re looking at something close to a month I think.?

Smith however, gave a slightly more upbeat assessment of the situation ? although the earlier medical prognosis did not match the former Dandy Town striker?s optimism.

?I?m hoping to be involved at some stage,? he said.

?We?ll just have to wait and see how it goes. The knee hasn?t recovered as quickly as I was hoping but I?m working really hard in the gym trying to get it right.?

The Rev?s squad had their first outdoor training session yesterday morning under the watchful eye of coaches Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner at the National Sports Centre.

The players were clearly grateful for a break from the bitter winter cold of Boston ? currently under two feet of snow ? which has forced them to spend much of their early pre-season training indoors.

Coach Nicol, meanwhile, hinted that he would be keeping an eye out for Bermudian talent while on the Island and said he had been made aware of the leading lights ? such as Devonshire Cougars winger Domico Coddington ? by Smith, who he recruited on last year?s tour.

In their first 90 minutes of football since losing 1-0 to the LA Galaxy in the MLS final last November, Nicol?s boys take on a Bermuda Under 20 team tonight in a friendly match closed to the public.

The rest of the week will be spent training on the North Field before the highly-anticipated clash with Bermuda at the National Stadium in four days time.

A week today they will play Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense in the Concacaf Champions Cup ? again at the NSC ? before coming up against the visiting Jamaica Under 23?s in another friendly three days later.

The Rev?s then fly to Costa Rica for the second leg of their Champions Cup tie.