Melbourne Victory captain Mark Milligan may require surgery on his knee injury with Melbourne Heart attacker Harry Kewell also potentially facing time on the sidelines.
Melbourne Victory captain Mark Milligan may require surgery on his knee injury with Melbourne Heart attacker Harry Kewell also potentially facing time on the sidelines.
Milligan, who had flown to Paris for Australia’s friendly against France before returning home, faces weeks on the sidelines should he need arthroscopic surgery.
Victory coach Ange Postecoglou, speaking after his team’s 0-0 draw against Heart at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, said his star midfielder may miss further matches.
“(He) might have to have an arthroscopy just to clean it up if he doesn’t look like managing it which we have been doing quite well,” Postecoglou said.
“Like I said, that’s why I was a little bit annoyed.
“I think he’s probably missed a good three days of rehab and also flights don’t do these kind of injuries any good.”
Milligan arrived back in Melbourne on Saturday morning ‘still a bit sore’ but with Victory planning to have him back to face Adelaide in round two on Friday night.
But if the 28-year-old fails to pull up well, he faces minor surgery and potentially a few weeks on the sidelines.
There was also bad injury news for the Heart, who had Kewell substituted in the second half of the lacklustre Melbourne derby.
The Heart captain received a stray elbow from Victory defender Adrian Leijer and required treatment to his head in the first half.
Kewell suffered from neurological pain, which led to his substitution, and will require stitches on his head gash.
“Harry got a knock to the head in the first half. There was a bit of whiplash and was feeling some neurological pain … down the back of his leg,” Heart coach John Aloisi said afterwards.
“It was a little bit precautionary when I had to take him off. Hopefully he’s OK. He had a bad gash on top of his eyebrow that needs stitches.”
