Nishan Velupillay Injury Update: Victory Coach Offers Insights Before Grand Final

Melbourne Victory’s head coach, Arthur Diles, acknowledges that it remains uncertain whether winger Nishan Velupillay will be ready to play in this weekend’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final.

The 24-year-old attacker was seen on crutches and sporting a protective moon boot earlier this week after sustaining an ankle injury during the first half of Saturday’s 2-0 semi-final victory over Auckland FC.

When asked about the fitness of his Socceroos winger ahead of the highly anticipated Melbourne Derby Grand Final, Diles stated that the club will provide him every chance to participate.

“We’re not certain at this point. It’s still quite early,” Diles mentioned during Wednesday’s Grand Final press conference at AAMI Park.

“We’ll give him until the last possible moment to make that decision on Friday. But as it stands, it’s probably a 50-50 situation.”

“He’s walking better, but being able to walk is quite different from being fit for a final.”

“He’s shown significant improvement in terms of general mobility, but it’s still too soon to have a definitive assessment.”

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Velupillay is one of three players to score seven league goals for Victory this season and has also provided four assists during what has been a standout campaign for the winger.

Meanwhile, first-choice goalkeeper Mitch Langerak also faces uncertainty with his fitness as the decider approaches.

The 36-year-old missed both legs of the semi-final against Auckland FC due to a foot injury and is racing against time to be fit for the match against City.

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“He managed some sessions yesterday and did a bit more today. We’ll assess him tomorrow since it’ll be his first time training on consecutive days,” Diles explained.

“It’ll be a significant test for him, and he falls into that category of players that we will have to wait and see on.”

On a more positive note, there are encouraging updates regarding defenders Kasey Bos and Adama Traore.

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Bos was absent from the semi-final second leg against Auckland after picking up a foot injury in the first leg, while Traore has been battling a calf issue.

“Yes, they’re looking promising, actually. So that’s a welcome bit of news; they are in much better shape than we expected last week.

“If this progress continues, I believe they’ll be available for selection come Friday.”