Injury adds to misery for Fenton

Louis Fenton’s rotten run with injury has continued, scans revealing the Wellington Phoenix defender dislocated his left shoulder in the early stages of last weekend’s controversial loss to Melbourne City.

Already forced to withdraw from the All Whites squad for their upcoming games against Ireland and Lithuania, the right-back has been ruled out of tomorrow’s clash against Melbourne Victory, where the Phoenix will be looking to avoid an unwanted club record of five defeats to begin an A-League season.

‘‘It is unfortunate Louis won’t be with us – he brings a toughness and passion to our squad that we need,’’ coach Ufuk Talay said.

It remains unclear how long the injury will sideline Fenton. He has previously dislocated both of his shoulders.

The shoulder injury compounded a forgettable night for Fenton, who was the subject of a VAR howler in the second half. City were awarded a penalty for handball despite the ball striking Fenton’s chest.

Fuming from the decision, which was upheld by the Video Assistant Referee, Fenton blew up in a post-match interview with but avoided a sanction for his foul-mouthed comments.

The setback is another cruel blow for the 26-year-old, who has endured an injury-plagued professional career since joining the Phoenix. On top of numerous shoulder dislocations, he has suffered ongoing groin problems, broken his leg and broken his foot.

The broken foot kept him out of last season’s elimination final, but to make matter worse it became infected and required numerous operations, sidelining Fenton for most of the Phoenix’s pre-season.