Huddersfield and Australia midfielder Aaron Mooy is expected to be out for at least another month following his withdrawal from Australia's Asian Cup squad.
The 28-year-old sustained an injury during Huddersfield's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal earlier this month and has not appeared in their three games since.
We will explore every option available to give @AaronMooy the chance to feature for the @Socceroos at the AFC Asian Cup in January.
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos) December 13, 2018
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The Socceroos' manager, Graham Arnold, spoke of his upset at losing such an important player, however, he was aware that the player's physical fitness was the priority and was in no rush to keep an unfit Mooy in the squad.
“It is disappointing to lose Aaron for the tournament however it was important that we left no stone unturned in exploring every option to get Aaron on the pitch for Australia in the UAE," Arnold told the Socceroos' website.
"We will remain in close contact with Aaron and Huddersfield Town during his rehabilitation and trust that he will make a successful return to action."
Even if Mooy was fit to play, he would not feature in a Huddersfield shirt for at least a month due to his commitments with the national team.
However, Arnold has an eye to Mooy returning to action by the end of January, which would mean he could feature in the semi-final of the Asian Cup, should Australia reach that stage.
“In making the assessment on the injury we agreed Aaron would need at least another month to return to fitness. In a best-case scenario, this would mean he would not be ready to play until after the quarter-final stage [24-25 January 2019].
"With so many games in such a short period we felt it would be best to bring in a player that is fully fit and ready to go from the outset.”
Huddersfield Town will be eager for the Australian to return as soon as possible, with the Terriers currently residing rock bottom of the Premier League.
Source : 90min