Hooper back early for Nix’s finals push
Wellington Phoenix have received a ‘‘massive’’ boost heading into the business end of the A-League Men season with striker Gary Hooper back from injury much earlier than expected.
There were fears Hooper may have played his last game for the Phoenix after suffering a calf injury in a 4-0 defeat to Newcastle Jets on March 18.
But coach Ufuk Talay confirmed the 34-year-old was available and set to feature against the in-form Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park tonight after footage posted by the club on social media showed Hooper participating in training throughout the week.
‘‘It’s been good that he’s been back on the park and he will be available to be in the squad for Melbourne Victory but with limited minutes,’’ Talay said.
‘‘It’s way earlier than we expected, which is great for us.
‘‘To get him back involved in a very important stage of the season is great.’’
Hooper has endured a frustrating return to the Phoenix, limited to just 11 appearances across all competitions after suffering various injury setbacks during the season.
But he is a proven scorer and despite his lack of game time, he has still averaged a goal every 123 minutes after scoring five times this season.
Talay said Hooper had done everything he could to get back on the pitch before the season ended.
‘‘He was pushing hard to get on the bench in Auckland so it’s great we’ve got him back a little earlier.
‘‘He will still be limited with the time he plays but to have a player of his calibre sitting on the bench and maybe giving us 15-20 minutes is a massive boost.’’
The fifth-placed Phoenix need only one win from their remaining three games to secure a top-six finish after escaping with a 1-0 win against Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend.
Jaushua Sotirio was deployed at right wing-back in that match but Talay said Sotirio had pulled up with a calf strain and would miss the Victory game, meaning there will be at least one change to the starting XI.
‘‘He’s feeling a bit tight in his calf so most likely Jaushy won’t feature for this game which is disappointing as he did a good job for us.
‘‘It was a new role for him and probably playing in that position took its toll.’’
The Victory are unbeaten in their last 13 A-League Men games but have lost their last two against the Phoenix.