A double hit for the Socceroos

THE Socceroos have suffered a double injury blow ahead of next month’s start of their World Cup qualifiers, with goalkeeper Danny Vukovic and winger Martin Boyle facing surgery and long rehab.

Vukovic has ruptured his achilles tendon and is likely to be missing into the new year.

Boyle – only just returned from a knee injury suffered on international duty at the end of last year – is out “for the foreseeable future” after reinjuring it while playing for his Scottish club Hibernian.

The latest injury is a blow to Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who persuaded Boyle to throw his lot in with Australia last year, only for him to be injured on the eve of the Asian Cup.

He has not figured in green and gold since.

Boyle will have fresh surgery on the knee injured last Friday against Elgin City, only his third game back since damaging it.

Vukovic, meanwhile, has had a remarkable two years in Belgium halted by the injury, which was confirmed by his agent Mikkel Beck.

Having won the Belgian league and Super Cup last season, and player of the season the year before – as well as earning selection for the Socceroos squad at last year’s World Cup – Vukovic, 34, now faces “a long and hard recovery”, Beck said.

The recovery time or a ruptured achilles is four to six months, and realistically Vukovic’s age means a period towards the upper end.

“Surgery went well and have already started the recovery process,” the goalkeeper said on Twitter. “Honestly devastated but was given a small reminder when I turned on the TV in my hospital room.

“My boy with his papa on the pitch. We will be back out there together soon enough!”