Melbourne City star Samuel Souprayen is set to be sidelined for more than a month, though the Isuzu UTE A-League champions are close to welcoming back Andrew Nabbout.
Souprayen will miss this weekend’s Round 2 showdown against Perth Glory at AAMI Park after injuring his hamstring in Tuesday night’s AFC Champions League Elite victory over Thai giants Buriram United.
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The 36-year-old defender, who sat out last season’s Grand Final win due to a calf problem, is facing an extended stint away from the pitch as head coach Aurelio Vidmar provided an insight into the severity of his injury.
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“I think somewhere between four and six weeks from what we first been told, but we’re still waiting for the final report from the doctor,” Vidmar said ahead of Saturday’s fixture with Perth.
“It was quite significant, which is unfortunate.”
While Souprayen recovers, City teammate Nabbout is nearing his long-awaited return from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
But the 32-year-old could be back for the week-three trip to Brisbane Roar.
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“He’s really close, not this weekend. Going well with the next four or five days, I reckon he’d be pretty close to the Brisbane game,” Vidmar said.
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