Sergio van Dijk will miss Saturday’s match against the Wellington Phoenix, but scan results revealed it is not all bad news for the striker.
Adelaide United FC will be without the services of striker Sergio van Dijk for the Reds- trip across the Tasman to face the Wellington Phoenix on Saturday due to a calf injury.
However, scans this afternoon revealed a better outcome than initially expected, with the reigning Hyundai A-League Golden Boot winner suffering a minor calf tear, meaning he could be back within two weeks.
Whether van Dijk recovers in time to be a chance of facing the Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh Stadium on November 25 will depend on how well he responds to his rehabilitation program.
Van Dijk suffered the injury after receiving a knock to his calf in the first half of last Friday night-s win over Gold Coast United, which saw him replaced by Andy Slory in the 36th minute.
Prior to the setback, van Dijk had played every minute this season, while he only missed two games in the Reds- 2010/11 campaign.
The lethal marksman and Reds- target man is remaining positive despite the disappointment of being restricted to the sidelines for up to a fortnight, although he will not rush back until he has made a full recovery.
In other injury news, Reds Head Coach Rini Coolen will be closely monitoring the progress of defender Milan Susak and Ukrainian midfielder Evgeniy Levchenko.
Susak, similarly to van Dijk, is being hampered by a calf injury he incurred after copping a knock at training last week that forced him out of the match with Gold Coast, while Levchenko also continues to make steady improvement from a niggling calf problem.
The Reds fly out for Auckland on Thursday afternoon ahead of their match against the Phoenix at Eden Park on Saturday.
Finally, Football Federation Australia has made the following amendment regarding the goal scored by Gold Coast United in last Friday night-s game:
*Please note the 67th minute goal scored in the Adelaide United v Gold Coast United match credited as an Own Goal to Adelaide United player Zenon Caravella has been reviewed and awarded to Gold Coast United player James Brown.
