KOLKATA: Punjab FC suffered a severe blow very early into the Indian Super League (ISL) season 11 campaign as their pivotal, overseas striker Luka Majcen was ruled out for at least 6-8 weeks, due to the injury suffered during their season opener against Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi on Sunday.
“The Slovenian has sustained two fractures to his jaw, and he will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be under the supervision of the medical team. He will return to action in 6-8 weeks after the surgery depending on the medical conditions and clearances by the medical team,” the club said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Speaking on the development, the football director of Punjab FC, Nikolaos Topoliatis said, “It is unfortunate that we will miss the services of Luka for the upcoming fixtures. It was an unwanted aggressive foul by the Kerala Blasters player which resulted in Luka’s injury and we as a club do not support such an aggressive nature of the game which yields to nothing. I wish him a speedy recovery and join the team back as soon as possible.”
Captain Majcen is very crucial to the club’s scheme of things, and he proved his worth in their opening game scoring the first goal, from the spot, and assisted Filip Mrzljak for the winner against the Blasters to start the season on a winning note.
After their away victory, Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis had praised the skipper for his role in the thrilling victory, saying, “Luka is the captain of this team and a leader. He’s a great player but I have to say more about his personality. He is an amazing person. He didn’t complain about being on the bench, but he realised that I might start with (Mushaga) Bakenga.
“He’s a great example for the young players who sometimes keep their head down and feel angry or disappointed because you don’t start them or you don’t get them on the bench. We are really lucky to have him. He scored and it’s amazing. Let’s hope that after the foul he received from the opponent, he will be ready for the next game,” the Green coach had stated hoping the injury was not that threatening.
But it turned out to be a very severe one and Punjab will find it very difficult to replace their inspirational captain on and off the field. Punjab will take on Odisha FC in their next match at home at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
