After scoring on his return from a long-term injury, Melbourne City striker Bruno Fornaroli has put his hand up to make his Hyundai A-League return against champions Sydney FC on Saturday night.
The Uruguayan found the net in City’s 4-1 friendly loss against touring Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F on Tuesday.
It was Fornaroli’s first real serious hit-out since making his return after five months out with a broken ankle suffered in the Westfield FFA Cup.
But with a solid 67 minutes under his belt against the CLS outfit, Fornaroli has put his hand up to take on the rampant Sky Blues at AAMI Park in a blockbuster encounter on Saturday night.
“Why not? But this question is not for me at the moment, it’s for the coach,” said Fornaroli in the Herald Sun when asked if he was ready to play against Sydney FC.
“It was a good session for me, it feels great to play again and nothing, we continue to prepare to come back.
“It was a very good step for me because last week I had an injection and a bit of a rest and tried to cross my fingers that the injection worked.
“And today I felt great, so that was very important to me. Also (Wednesday) is an important day (to asses that there is) no reaction and try and feel great and continue to try to come back to the team.”
Asked how his ankle came through the match, Fornaroli said: “I didn’t feel anything strange or I didn’t feel bad.
“Yeah, (the plan was to play 70 minutes), we spoke about 70, not force it.
“I felt great to continue, but sometimes you don’t have to (push it). Do well and try to prepare for the next step.”
Fornaroli’s goal came inside 15 minutes when he stroked home from close range after excellent lead-up play from Nick Fitzgerald.
It’s understood the 30-year-old will be assessed by City medical staff on Wednesday before determining if he’ll be in the squad to play Sydney FC.
City are currently on a six-game unbeaten run in the Hyundai A-League, with many believing Saturday night’s performance and result against the defending champions will prove whether Warren Joyce’s side are serious title contenders this season.
