Honda in injury scare at training

MELBOURNE Victory has played down a training ground knock to Japanese star Keisuke Honda yesterday.

The A-League’s marquee man went to ground in a clash of legs at training on Gosch’s Paddock ahead of tomorrow night’s visit of Perth Glory.

As the session drew to a close, Honda found himself on the ground pointing to his knee after tussling with a teammate.

The session had finished by the time the 32-year-old climbed from the turf, leaving him unable to show his return to health or otherwise.

Honda still found time to talk to adoring fans, pose for photographs and sign autographs before opting to catch a ride on the equipment cart for the short trip back to Victory’s change rooms.

Victory will monitor its multimillion-dollar investment closely but it’s unlikely to prevent him from playing against Perth.

Teammate Thomas Deng spoke to media after the session, saying he expected Honda to front up at AAMI Park.

“I think he’ll be fine for Sunday. It was just a little niggle,” he said, before taking the veteran to task for catching a lift back to the rooms. “I don’t need the cart. I stick to the walking.”

A club official said they had no comment to make on his condition. Honda scored the opening goal in last Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Melbourne City.