Melbourne City have confirmed that midfielder Aiden O’Neill is expected to be sidelined for three months due to a lower back injury.
The 22-year-old joined the club last September after leaving English Premier League outfit Burnley, having made only a handful of appearances during his four years for his former employers.
The youngster did get sent out on multiple loans during that time, including spells with Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar in the past two seasons. The 2018-19 season in particular saw him receiving the award for being the Mariners’ most valuable player of the season.
Fast forwarding to recent times, O’Neill was left out due to a sore back in the 2-1 victory over Western United. But now the club have confirmed that the injury is worse than initially expected, as he faces three months on the sidelines.
This puts the Olyroo in a race against time to make his case to be included in Graham Arnold’s squad for the Olympics, which is set start on July 23.
A statement on the club’s official website reads: “We have received the results back from a MRI scan on the lower back injury that kept O’Neill out of Saturday night’s win against Western United. Unfortunately for Aiden the injury is more serious than first thought and will require a further three months of rest and rehab.
“We wish Aiden all the best in his recovery and can’t wait to see him back out on the training pitch.”
