Sydney FC striker Adam Le Fondre is set to be out of action until after the FIFA international window next month.
The Sky Blues hitman limped off with a hamstring injury just before half time in the 1-0 Sydney Derby win on Western Sydney Wanderers’ turf.
It’s a blow for Le Fondre who was in a good run of form scoring four goals in his last six games since the turn of the year.
“Obviously I’m devastated to miss the next few weeks but thankfully I should be back by April and ready for the end of season and the Finals Series,” he said.
“I was feeling good and in-form having scored three in the past two games so it’s upsetting from that point of view.
“But the squad is playing well at the moment and we’ve got enough momentum and quality to keep us heading in the right direction.”
Head Coach Steve Corica lamented the loss of the former English Premier League forward but acknowledged the Sky Blues’ have good strength in the squad to replace him against Brisbane Roar at Allianz Stadium this Saturday (5pm).
“It’s not great, he’s probably going to be missing until the international window and will likely miss the next four or five games,” he said.
“I thought he was returning to his best, he looked sharp and he was doing really well.
“Robert Mak is a good option, he has played there before for us, but there could be opportunities for Wood and Kucharski as well.
“Alex Parsons is another player we could put in there against his former club, we’ll see how things pan out this week, but we’ve got options.”
Sydney FC will be chasing their fourth win in a row against the Roar after defeating Melbourne Victory, 2nd placed Central Coast Mariners and Wanderers who were in 3rd spot.
The last time the Sky Blues achieved three consecutive wins was at the end of the 2020/21 Isuzu UTE A-League season when they notched six in a row before the run was broken in the 2021 Grand Final in Melbourne.