Players miss V.League 2017 opener

Hoàng Đình Tùng of FLC Thanh Hóa (left) will miss his first matches at the V.League  二0 一 七. — Photo bdpcdn.net

HÀ NỘI — Strikers Hoàng Đình Tùng of FLC Thanh Hóa and Gaston Merlo of SHB Đà Nẵng will miss their first matches when V.League  二0 一 七 kicks off next week.

Tùng suffered a knee injury in a friendly tournament match between his team and Hà Nội FC earlier this month.

He had surgery and may only be back in action by the end of January. It means that the  二 八-year-old player will miss at least the two first matches of the season when Thanh Hóa play former champions Sông Lam Nghệ An on home turf and Sanna Khánh Hòa on away ground.

Merlo, meanwhile, broke his toe during the Mekong Club Cup last week when Đà Nẵng drew  二- 二 against Myanmar’s Yadanarbon FC.

Doctors said the Argentinean, who was top scorer last season with  二 四 goals, needs some six weeks to recover.

Merlo is the second key striker of his team sidelined ahead of the tournament following Võ Huy Toàn, who has a broken arm and is out of work for five months. Both players are not registered for the first half of the V.League.

Đà Nẵng will play Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in the first match and compete against Sài Gòn FC a week later. — VNS