Australian Soccer Player Dugandzic To Miss Rest of Season

Mate Dugandzic, the talented young Melbourne Heart winger, will be out the rest of the A-season with a severe foot injury.

It was hoped the 23 year old would return after being sidelined for 12 weeks, after breaking his right foot during the Heart's game against Adelaide United on November 17th. He collided with United goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, fracturing a metatarsal.

Additional scans and surgery last Thursday showed the extent of the damage to the bone and ligament was worse than originally anticipated, meaning Dugandzic's rehabilitation will take at least six months. 

This is a major blow for the Heart, who sat ninth on the table, ahead of last Saturday's clash with Perth Glory at AAMI Park. 

Coach John Aloisi says, "It's never great to lose such an important player so early in the season. Mate was a critical player for us last season. Now the challenge is for another emerging player, like Golgol Mebrahtu or Ben Garuccio to step up when they get an opportunity and prove that they can be an elite player, which Mate did last season."

Garuccio unfortunately sustained a left ankle injury during last Saturday's game which is expected to keep him out at least a month. Aloisi does not plan on recruiting an injury replacement player, as he believes the Heart has the depth to cover Dugandzic. "We saw from last week that players from our youth league team were able to step up and help us get a result, so that's the path we will go down if we need to," said Aloisi.

If you participate in soccer and have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, friend and like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.