Melbourne Heart FC will be without the services of Captain Simon Colosimo against Perth Glory on Saturday night after the central defender was ruled out through injury.
Melbourne Heart FC will be without the services of Captain Simon Colosimo against Perth Glory on Saturday night after the central defender was ruled out through injury.
Colosimo picked up a calf strain during Heart-s last outing on January 2 with North Queensland Fury, and is expected to be out of action for a week.
Head Coach John van ‘t Schip said Colosimo will be in contention to return in time for Heart’s match against Gold Coast United at home on Wednesday.
“Simon pulled out of the game with North Queensland with a calf strain injury.,” he said.
“He had treatment last week, had a training session this week, but didn-t feel good enough to go to Perth and play a difficult game, so we preferred to give him a few days extra to prepare himself and hopefully be fit for the game against Gold Coast.”
Van ‘t Schip revealed his delight in Colosimo’s form over the last two months, crediting the number four with playing a critical role in Heart-s recent turn around.
However, with a number of potential options to choose from, including Socceroos Michael Beauchamp and Dean Heffernan, van ‘t Schip is confident his squad has the depth to cover Colosimo’s loss.
“Normally Michael Beauchamp will be the one who replaces him. He-s played in central defence for a great part of the season, and he-s looking very good over the last few weeks as well,” he said.
“Simon did very well when he came back to the squad, he played very sharp, was an example for the team and one of the players who helped us get the wins we have.
“Michael had a very good period before that, he struggled also some games, like all the players had. But he is an experienced defender and we are sure he will do a good job.”
