Charlie Miller left the field in just the 38th minute during Queensland Roar’s 1-1 draw with Sydney FC last week, but coach Frank Farina has refused to budge from his stance on the Scotsman’s injury.
Miller has been battling a groin problem and requires a hernia operation to become fit, but Farina maintained the surgery will not happen until the end of the season.
“I don’t want him to have the operation unless he desperately needs it,” Farina said.
“As I’ve said, he’s important in terms of our team structure and what he’s doing for us, as a playmaker and also scoring goals.”
“Charlie’s been around, he’s 31, he knows his body, he knows what he can do and what he should be doing, it’s a week by week proposition with him.”
Miller completed a short training session on Thursday ahead of the Roar’s away clash against the Central Coast Mariners this weekend.
Farina believed the midfielder should take the field on Saturday, but was not sure how many minutes he would stay on the park.
“That will be determined by how he’s feeling and how the game is going, every week has been difficult for him, obviously we have to nurse him through the week and cut his workload down,” he said.
“He got through today, which was only pretty short, but he looks like he’ll definitely travel and he’ll definitely start the game unless something drastic happens.”
“Eventually he’s going to have to have the hernia operation but hopefully that will be at the end of the season.”
Farina held the view that an earlier surgery date was ‘not a topic for discussion’, considering the time Miller would have to spend on the sidelines recovering.
“I don’t know, I would presume (he would need) anywhere from three to six weeks, three to six weeks is a third of our season, so no operation, yet.”
The Roar used a 3-4-3 formation at training, with Luke DeVere, Craig Moore and Josh McCloughan controlling the defence.
Farina said he was unsure if his side would use the tactic against the Mariners, but that he would play four in the midfield.
“That’s an option for us, I think we’ll be comfortable with that style of play, particularly in the midfield and that’s where the game will be won or lost.”
“I think having Danny (Tiatto), Massimo (Murdocca), Matt (McKay) and Charlie (Miller) in the midfield area is a huge benefit.”
“They play with three in there, so at any given stage we are always going to have a free man, whether that’s Charlie or Danny.”
