HANOVER, N.J. – Thanks to a rare weekend off due to the international break, the New York Red Bulls will have some valuable time to bring key pieces back into the fold.
Addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Jesse Marsch provided an update on the injured trio of Red Bulls who are looking to make a full recovery as the playoffs approach.
The closest of the bunch, forward Omer Damari trained in full with the first team and looked sharp in finishing drills. The Israeli international enjoyed some early success to his tenure in New York, scoring the equalizing goal against Alianza FC in Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League play back on August 16. Beyond that, his contributions have been limited due to a persistent groin injury that has kept him sidelined. However, Marsch revealed that Damari is close to a return to full fitness.
“Omer is in training now,” Marsch said. “He was available at the weekend [against Philadelphia] but we chose not to use him because he’s not 100 percent yet. He’s getting close.”
Joining him on the comeback trail, defender Ronald Zubar did some individual training on Tuesday and made positive strides in his efforts to return to the pitch. The Frenchman underwent hernia surgery on September 20 but has been recovering nicely, according to Marsch.
“Ronald is looking good,” he added. “By next week, he’ll be a full go in training and ready for selection for Columbus.”
Perhaps the furthest away is midfielder Daniel Royer who went down in training with a hamstring injury last week. The Austrian was spotted at the training facility, but did not take part in any physical activity.
“It’s at least two weeks,” Marsch said of Royer’s timetable. “It’s not as bad as we originally feared, so we’re hopeful that by the start next week he’ll be day-to-day and we can see where he’s at. We’ll see how everything goes, but obviously that was unfortunate timing.”
