Victory young gun out of final
A CRUNCHING tackle from Luke Wilkshire looks set to rob exciting Melbourne Victory young gun Christian Theoharous of the chance to play in tonight’s A-League grand final.
The 18-year-old winger has barely trained this week and, barring a miraculous late recovery, is all but certain to watch from the stands at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Theoharous spent the first half of the week in a moon boot after the crude challenge from Wilkshire — which went unpunished — late in Victory’s 3-2 extra time win over Sydney FC left him with strained ankle ligaments.
“It was a tackle that obviously got him pretty good,” coach Kevin Muscat said.
“He tried to train yesterday without any assistance, an injection or anything like that and he was still pretty sore.
“It’s another 24 hours so we’ll see how he pulls up but it doesn’t look great for him.”
It would be a heartbreaking outcome for Theoharous, who made his A-League debut last season but only announced himself this campaign with a string of electric performances off the bench.
Muscat will instead have to count on a similar late impact from Jai Ingham, who appears the most likely replacement in the extended squad, against the Newcastle Jets.
Striker Pierce Waring is another option.
Reports have linked Theoharous with a move to Germany but how the injury might affect those hopes remains to be seen.
Muscat has given the rest of