Veteran Australia international Scott Chipperfield is being managed well by Swiss club FC Basel.

The 34-year old left-back has recovered well from an ankle injury to score three goals in his past five outings but Basel are refraining from starting him in every game which is boosting his chances of being fresh for the World Cup considerably.

In the past five weeks, Chipperfield has played a total of 452 minutes of a possible 540 in league matches with Basel winning five and drawing one as they continue their chase to topple league leaders Young Boys who are six points ahead of them.

At the age he is at, it is a smart ploy by the club to offload the veteran's playing obligations and it has worked well with him being the most in-form Australian player in the world in the past month.

Chipperfield may not be a match winner at international level but he is a vital player for the Socceroos and Basel's plan to keep him fresh can only be positive and will assist highly in keeping him injury-free ahead of the World Cup in South Africa in June.