Key Socceroo returns from injury ahead of friendlies
Anna Harrington |
Attacker Connor Metcalfe has returned from injury for FC St. Pauli in a welcome boost to the Socceroos ahead of their World Cup send-off matches.
Metcalfe, who had been sidelined with a knee issue, came on in the 75th minute of St Pauli’s 1-0 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim on Saturday.
Midfielder Jackson Irvine appears to have fully shaken the foot concern that plagued him earlier in the season, playing a full 90 minutes.
Irvine has now started five league games – with St. Pauli winning four of those fixtures to leap out of the Bundesliga relegation zone.
Metcalfe has become a crucial part of Socceroos coach Tony Popovic’s attack and midfield, often playing as an inverted winger and scoring a goal and notching two assists in qualifying.
His return will be music to the ears of Popovic, who of late has only had bad news on the injury front just over three months out from Australia’s World Cup tournament opener in Vancouver.
In-form striker Mohamed Toure will miss four-to-six weeks with a groin injury, ruling him out of friendlies against Cameroon at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on March 27 and versus Curacao at Melbourne’s AAMI Park four days later.
Fellow striker Nicholas D’Agostino suffered a knee injury in Brisbane Roar’s 1-1 draw with Perth Glory on Saturday.
Defender Lewis Miller will miss the World Cup with a ruptured achilles tendon while Harry Souttar, Craig Goodwin and Cammy Devlin are all sidelined.
Young defender Hayden Matthews was at least on the bench for Portsmouth – whose attacker Adrian Segecic played the whole game – in a 1-0 defeat to Hull as he nears a playing return from an ankle injury suffered in December.
Talented midfielder Alex Robertson remains a key part of Cardiff City’s bid for promotion to the English Championship and scored in a 4-0 win
“I just chested it and hit it over the keeper,” he said.
The young midfielder, who debuted under Graham Arnold, has been called up Popovic but is yet to play any minutes for the current Socceroos boss.
Elsewhere, unlikely bolter Ante Suto continued his hot form off the bench for Hibernian.
Veteran Socceroo Martin Boyle delivered the assist for Suto – who is eligible for both Australia and Croatia – in Hibernian’s 3-3 draw with Dundee.
Striker Suto, 25, has three goals and an assist in his five games since joining the Scottish club.
AAP