16-year-old defender Jayden Necovski has unfortunately been ruled out for the entire 2024/25 A-League Men’s season.
Necovski underwent successful surgery last week after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.
Socceroos veteran Mathew Leckie and forward Max Caputo will also miss the start of the season due to quad and leg injuries, respectively.
Leckie is expected to return to full training in the coming days as he targets a return to the pitch in the Round 2 Melbourne Derby, depending on his progress over the next week.
Caputo faces a longer recovery after undergoing surgery in August to repair a syndesmosis injury and fractured fibula sustained in training early in pre-season.
Midfielder Alessandro Lopane also underwent surgery earlier in pre-season following a patella injury and is progressing well through his recovery, but not expected to be available for selection until midway through the season.
Additionally, young talents Emin Durakovic (hamstring) and Harry Shillington (ankle) will be sidelined during the early stages of the season.
| PLAYER | INJURY | EXPECTED RETURN |
| Mathew Leckie | Quad | 1-2 weeks |
| Emin Durakovic | Hamstring | 3-4 weeks |
| Max Caputo | Leg | 5-6 weeks |
| Alessandro Lopane | Knee | Early 2025 |
| Harry Shillington | Ankle | TBC |
| Jayden Necovski | Knee | Season |
