Melbourne Heart FC ‘s Adrian Zahra has been ruled out for the remainder of the Hyundai A-League season after an assessment confirmed the young winger has suffered damage to his right knee.
Melbourne Heart FC ‘s Adrian Zahra has been ruled out for the remainder of the Hyundai A-League season after an assessment confirmed the young winger has suffered damage to his right knee.
Scans revealed Zahra sustained partial damage to multiple ligaments with no complete tears reported, and the Club is hopeful the 20-year-old will not require surgery at this stage.
In a further boost, the prognosis suggests Zahra could potentially be fit and ready to take part in Heart-s pre-season ahead of the Club-s next Hyundai A-League campaign.
General Manager, Football Operations John Didulica said: “We-re very relieved that it appears Adrian won-t be requiring surgery. That said, we-re still bitterly disappointed that he will miss the rest of the season as he has been such a valuable player for us.
“We-re playing our very best football of the season at the moment and obviously Adrian was a big part of that, but we-re still confident we can take enough points from our final three games to play finals which would be a fantastic achievement in our debut season.”
Chief Executive Officer Scott Munn said the Club is eagerly anticipating Zahra-s return to action.
“We are excited Adrian is on board for the next two seasons. The Club is looking forward to his continued development as a footballer and confident he has a bright future both domestically and internationally, with the 2012 London Olympics on the horizon,” he said.
“In climbing the ranks to sign a professional deal last year, Adrian provided clear evidence of what can be achieved through hard work and persistence, and we are certain he will once again display these characteristics in overcoming this minor hurdle.”
