The return of talismanic Melbourne Heart FC captain Fred to Hyundai A-League action will need to be carefully managed, according to head coach John van ‘t Schip.
The return of talismanic Melbourne Heart FC captain Fred to Hyundai A-League action will need to be carefully managed, according to head coach John van ‘t Schip.
Van ‘t Schip will need to plan for life without the Brazilian star for at least four weeks after he suffered a groin strain against Gold Coast United at Skilled Park on Sunday.
While Fred possesses remarkable powers of recuperation, van ‘t Schip said Heart is likely to take a conservative course as the Club-s medical staff looks to guide him back to action.
“We-re going to discuss his injury with greater detail today when we convene with the Club-s medical staff, but he will be out for a longer period now….. it will be at least a few weeks for sure,” van ‘t Schip said.
“We will have to manage him very carefully, but he-s come to a point now we have to be very careful and take more time to ensure he returns at a good level again.”
Fred is joined on the injury list by fellow midfielders Wayne Srhoj (groin), Nick Kalmar (back) and Kliment Taseski (foot), forcing van ‘t Schip to drawn upon Heart-s much vaunted depth ahead of this weekend-s match.
While Srhoj was initially mooted as a potential inclusion against the Glory, Heart is likely to err on the side of caution and offer the midfielder an additional week-s preparation.
Argentine Jonatan Germano though will be back in action however after training impressively since returning to the track on Monday, where he completed a session with the Heart youth team.
Meanwhile, Kalmar and Taseski both remain out of action for at least the next four weeks as the Heart medical staff attempts to guide them back to fitness before the end of the Hyundai A-League season.
