Following confirmation of an imminent return from Head Coach Graham Arnold, Sydney FC midfielder Milos Ninkovic said he’s ready to play on Saturday against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium (kick off 7:30pm).
Initially diagnosed as out for the remainder of the season, Ninkovic worked tirelessly to return, and the Serbian said he feels lucky to be back so soon as he thanked the staff who treated him.
“When I injured the ankle it looked very bad but thank god it is now much better,” Ninkovic said.
“Thursday was my first time training with the team, it’s still a little sore but I’m lucky.
“It was difficult [training on Thursday] because I had a 10 day break and it’s not so easy after 10 days but it was a light session and I feel good.
“It is always tough when you are injured, you need to work hard all day but after that you feel better and now my ankle is much stronger and that is thanks to the good staff in the club.
“I think I am ready,” he continued.
“Maybe not for a full game but I spoke to the coach and today we will take a decision, we will see what the coach says.
“We still have chances, we have to work hard and we will see. We have a good match against Brisbane and if we take three points then after that it will be better.”
Ninkovic said it was tough sitting on the sideline watching the squad compete on two fronts, as he lamented the hectic schedule of late for the Sky Blues.
“It’s difficult when you look at your players, your friends, it was a difficult period for us,” he said.
We played Champions League and it’s very hard playing Wednesday and Saturday but I’ve never seen this [the travel] before.
“When we played Champions League in Europe on Wednesday you play your next game on Sunday or Monday and only travel two maybe three hours whereas here it’s nine hours.
“The team came in on Friday and played their next game on Saturday which is crazy.”
Sydney FC take on Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday (kick off 7:30pm). Catch the match live on Fox Sports 4, listen live on ABC Grandstand or follow @SydneyFC on Twitter for updates.
