Socceroos gun’s Asian Cup hopes all but over after coach’s grim update
Mo Toure’s hope of playing in the Asian Cup in January look to be all but over after his club coach revealed the star forward will be on the sidelines until next year.
Toure underwent surgery for a shoulder injury he suffered late last month, which saw him miss out on selection for Australia’s friendlies against Brazil.
Toure also battled injury concerns at the World Cup. AP Photo/Julio Cortez
The recovery for the surgery typically takes between three and six months, with his Norwich City coach Philippe Clement hopeful Toure will begin to compete again in January.
“Mo had surgery and will be out until January,” Clement said, “it’s a long time.”
Toure had vowed to “come back stronger” when he first suffered the injury, writing on Instagram that it is just “another small setback” he has to overcome.
“This one hurts,” he wrote.
“I’ll give everything I have to return better than before. Thank you to everyone who’s stayed believing promise to be back out there soon.”
With no time on the field prior to the new year, Tony Popovic will need to consider whether it is worth risking a talent who has been sidelined for months.
The Asian Cup is set to kick off on January 7, meaning all players will need to impress in their final auditions over December if they want to make the team.
Nishan Velupillay was called in to replace Toure when Australia faced Brazil in the recent international break – and he will be hopeful to retain that spot again.
Tete Yengi, on the other hand, will be looking to keep his spot as a starting striker for the national team in wake of Toure’s prolonged absence.
If Toure manages to get back to training at club level with Norwich by December, Popovic will undoubtedly request medical updates from the English club.
The Socceroos enter the Asian Cup as the third highest-ranked team behind Japan (world No.17) and Iran (world No.22). South Korea sit fourth as world No. 32.
Australia’s first game is scheduled to take place on January 9 against Singapore. Iraq, coached by Graham Arnold and Tajikistan are the other nations in the group.
