Al Jazira hit by Vucinic injury setback

Matt Jones - Editor 13:32 23/08/2016
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  • Mirko Vucinic is one of the best strikers in the Arabian Gulf League but his troublesome knee injury is jeopardising his Al Jazira future,according to coach Henk ten Cate.

    The deadly Montenegro forward plundered 25 goals in 23 AGL games during a devastating debut campaign during 2014/15, but managed just five in nine total games before suffering a tear in his cruciate ligaments in November which ended his next season prematurely.

    The 32-year-old former Juventus and Roma marksman was expected to be ready in time for 2016/17, but Ten Cate revealed he is still “months” away from a return to action.

    “Mirko’s not fit. He’s not going to be fit soon,” said the Dutchman after his team beat Bahrain’s East Riffa 4-3 in a pre-season friendly in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

    “His knee is still not good, it’s still swollen. The doctors say he could still be out for a few months. It’s not good. He’s getting treatment with the physio and is not training. “If fit of course he will be in my plans because I think he is one of the best strikers in the country, but he is not fit so I cannot rely on him. This is the situation.”

    Ten Cate, who replaced fallen Pride of Abu Dhabi idol Abel Braga in December and led the cub to the President’s Cup, confirmed new arrival Mbark Boussoufa and forgotten man Jefferson Farfan currently occupy two of the four foreign player slots.

    However, the other two remain open. Vucinic, South Korea’s Park Jong-woo, seven-times capped Brazil international Thiago Neves and ex-Getafe playmaker Angel Lafita all remain at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. Ex-Ajax coach Ten Cate is searching for a solution before the start of the season, which kicks off in 11 days.

    “We have foreign players,” he said. “We have Thiago, we have Lafita, they’re still here and haven’t found a club yet so they’re still part of Al Jazira, whether we like it or not. “This is the situation and it’s not a good situation, it’s not good for us or them.”

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