Western and Fantasy owners dealt blow after Tomoki Imai undergoes shoulder surgery

Western United are still counting the cost of last week’s season-opening defeat to Melbourne City, with star defender Tomoki Imai facing between six to seven weeks on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury.

Imai underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair an AC joint injury sustained in the defending champions’ 2-1 loss against premiers City at AAMI Park on October 7.

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The Japanese centre-back landed awkwardly during the Grand Final rematch and while he continued in the first half, he was substituted at half-time.

Western said Imai is “recovering well”, with the expected timeframe for a return almost at the two-month mark.

John Aloisi’s Western welcome Sydney FC to AAMI Park on Sunday.