EXCITING recruit Luka Prso could be part of the Jets squad for the clash against Wellington on Sunday, just four days after getting out of quarantine, as Newcastle look for a lift ahead of their third game in a week.
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The Jets lost 2-1 to Brisbane on Wednesday night at McDonald Jones Stadium to remain without a point four games into their A-League campaign.
Adding to the task on Sunday is doubt over the fitness of midfielder Ramy Najjarine, who has been a bright light for the Jets during their frustrating run.
Najjarine came off in the 77th minute on Wednesday night with an ankle injury and is racing the clock to be fit for the game at WIN Stadium.
"Ramy came off because he got a kick in his ankle and he was struggling to run," coach Craig Deans told the Newcastle Herald on Thursday. "He blocked a cleared ball out of their box and it just caught him on the wrong part of the foot, and it twisted his ankle back and he landed a bit awkwardly on it.
"It's just a little bit swollen but he's pretty diligent with recovery and looking after his body so I'm sure he'll be doing everything last night and today to get himself back, and we'll have a look at him tomorrow at training.
"He's obviously been an important player in the first four games for us so we want to have him on the pitch every game."
An option, at least off the bench, could be Young Socceroo Prso, who came out of hotel quarantine on Wednesday night and was having medical tests on Thursday.
The 19-year-old has joined Newcastle on a loan deal from Croatian second-tier club NK Osijek II.
Jets general manager Lawrie McKinna said Prso had been playing and training up until his departure and he had used a treadmill in quarantine to help stay in shape.
McKinna hoped to have Prso cleared to play before Sunday's match and said there was "a possibility he could be on the bench".
Deans hoped to have Prso available for selection soon but he was wary of the teenager picking up a soft tissue injury after his time out.
"We just need to obviously get all his medicals done and get our physio and strength and conditioning coach to have a look at him physically, because you can have a treadmill in your hotel room but it's completely different to playing a game of football or football training," Deans said.
"It's probably been two or three weeks since he's done anything like that and last thing we want to do is risk him with an injury.
"It would be nice to have him because it's another number. We've got a couple of different options if he's available, but it's literally wait and see."
Deans lamented the Jets' missed chances against Roar and said they needed more quality in attack after having 22 shots to Brisbane's four.
While Prso is not expected to fix Newcastle's woes in front of goal, Deans welcomed competition for spots.
"Obviously he's a midfielder, not a striker, so he's not going to come in and start scoring goals for us, but if he can add something to the midfield - the midfield has been playing quite well anyway, that's not been the major area of weakness for us - but it would be nice to have competition," he said.
"Like most young kids, they have a good attitude towards wanting to play and they think they should play, and that's what you want, so it's just a matter of him getting in, him settling in and seeing how he fits in."
Craig Kerry
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
