Newcastle Jets have confirmed that star import Ronald Vargas had surgery in Brisbane last night after suffering a broken and dislocated ankle in the club’s clash with Roar on Sunday.
In a sickening incident in the second half of the Jets’ 2-1 win, the Venezuelan international tangled awkwardly with Roar skipper Matt McKay.
The severity of the injury shocked the players on the pitch and left coach Ernie Merrick distraught in the post-match press conference.
“We actually had one of Brisbane’s best surgeons, Dr Jeremy Bartlett, sitting in the stands and he came down straight after the incident to help safely manage Ron’s ankle,” said Merrick on Monday.
“In consultation with Dr Neil Halpin, who was already on the phone from Newcastle, Dr Bartlett left the game and operated on Ron immediately and we can’t thank him enough for his efforts.
“This was a terrible accident and we’re all feeling for Ron, but it was no one’s fault.
“The report from the surgeon has been positive at this stage, but with such a significant injury there are a lot of unknowns – Ron will recuperate and we’ll begin planning his rehabilitation.
“At this stage, we’re really not sure what a timeline for his return looks like, but we’d expect that he’ll be unavailable for most of the season.”
Vargas is expected to fly back to Newcastle with the rest of the Jets squad on Monday to begin his long road to recovery.
“As you could see yesterday, the players and the staff have been really affected by this injury,” Merrick said.
“He may have only been here for a short time, but Ron has already made an impression on all of us and that speaks to the quality of the guy – we’ll all be there to support him throughout his recovery.
“The outpouring of support from across Newcastle and the wider footballing community has been amazing, we appreciate it and I have no doubt that Ron will feel the same.”
