Leckie nears return as A-League finals and World Cup looms
As A-League Men finals near and the World Cup looms, Socceroo attacker Mat Leckie’s return for Melbourne City could come as soon as this Sunday, with the veteran to make the call on his status.
Socceroo attacker Mat Leckie’s return for Melbourne City is near, with coach Aurelio Vidmar saying that his availability for this Sunday’s clash with Wellington will ultimately come down to the attacker’s confidence in his surgically repaired hip.
After a turbulent, nearly two-year battle with repeated hamstring and other soft tissue injuries, Leckie underwent surgery on his right hip in early December, seeking to restore full movement to the joint and help address the cause of his repeated stints on the sideline at what was thought to be their source.
Now, just over 120 days on, the 35-year-old has progressed to the point in his rehabilitation where his coach, assuming he gets through City’s final training sessions, will be able to make his long-awaited return to the park for the Phoenix’s visit to AAMI Park on Sunday – victory in which would go a long way into securing the defending champions spot in the top six.
He’d join several reinforcements City are expected to welcome back for the contest, with Socceroo Patrick Beach and veteran defender Samuel Souprayen both looming as likely selections, in-form Olyroo Marcus Younis set to return from suspension, and another Socceroo in Ryan Teague shaping as a 50/50 proposition.
Speaking on Friday, however, Vidmar said that, ultimately, it would be up to Leckie to listen to his body and make the call on whether he was ready to return.
“It’s going to be a late decision,” Vidmar said. “He’ll train again today, train again tomorrow, and then we’ll just see how he is. He’s got to feel confident within himself, within his body, that if he does come into the squad, he can participate at any stage.
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“In a way, we’ve got to leave it to him. He’s the only one who can feel how his body’s feeling. He looks fine on the training track, but at the end, it’s got to be Mat himself who says I’m ready to go.”
Leckie’s addition would come at a crucial time for City, who have gone four games unbeaten to vault back into the playoff places just in time for a visit from a Phoenix side coming off a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park – their first win at the venue in nine years.
Sitting on 32 points, a win against Wellington, combined with a Sydney FC defeat in the Sydney Derby, would see Vidmar’s outfit move into fifth on the table and, should Macarthur fail to defeat Perth Glory in Western Australia, more than a game clear of seventh.
Lose, however, and City would fall behind the Phoenix on the table and, should the Bulls triumph out West too, crash down into eighth.
“Obviously, it’s been a long time since he played his last game,” said Vidmar. “Generally, he’s one of those guys who doesn’t need a hell of a lot of training; he’s generally pretty fit anyway. Of course, match rhythm is completely different, but he just always finds a way, finds an extra leg when he needs it, and that’s how he’s been for his entire career. If we can get him back in at any stage, whether this weekend or next week, it’ll absolutely be an added bonus for us.
We’re playing better football now… we’re sort of hitting our straps, if you want to say that, especially over the last couple of weeks, and we’re in a good frame of mind.
“We’ve had slower starts in the last couple of weeks, but we’ve managed to hang in there and then, and then really got on top of teams.
“We’re in good shape, good physical shape. I know this is our fourth game in two weeks. So you know, are we going to be at our freshest? Who knows, but we’ve been through this before. We know how to recover. We know how to back up.
“It’s an important game, as they all are, but it’s against a team that over the last three weeks, with Chris [Greenacre] taking over [as interim], they’re really disciplined, they’re very aggressive. They’re super quick on the counterattack. They’ve taken some nice results over the last couple of weeks.”
City fans, however, won’t be the only ones closely watching if Leckie returns to the pitch.
Injuries have restricted Leckie to just two international appearances since the 2022 FIFA World Cup – where he scored the famous goal to beat Denmark and send Australia through to the knockout stages – with his last appearance in Green and Gold coming under Graham Arnold, in a 5-0 win over Palestine in November of 2024.
Called up by Tony Popovic for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia last June, the 79-cap veteran sacrificed his place in the team – and his face – in dragging City over the line in last year’s Grand Final, withdrawing from the Socceroo squad soon after being named the Joe Marston medalist.
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If Leckie has enough runway to prove his form and fitness to play for the national team is up for debate – Vidmar admits that if he hasn’t returned by City’s trip to face Brisbane next week, a line can probably be drawn through him – and if there’s even room to force his way into Popovic’s attacking or midfield mix isn’t clear.
But Vidmar also observed that, even at his age, there are few players in Australia’s talent pool capable of reaching Leckie’s level when he’s at his best.
“At the end of the day, Popa is going to have to make a decision,” Vidmar, a former Socceroo as a player and former assistant and caretaker coach of the side, said. “Is a guy who’s out of rhythm going to be valuable? Someone of Leckie’s status and what he can do -- there’s definitely not one player in the league, when he’s on and when he’s fit, there is no player like him.
“But that’s a discussion and a decision for Popa to make. If he plays the next couple of games, he’s probably going to be considered, I would imagine. But whether he’s done enough to cement a place in a World Cup squad, again, I can’t make that decision for Popa.
“Popa’s going to have to make that decision, with his staff, about what’s in the best interest of the team. If he doesn’t come up in the next week or so, then he’s probably got no chance.
“But we’re hoping, and we’re pretty confident that if not this weekend, next weekend, he’s got to show himself.”
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