ISL 2017: Injury to force Robbie Keane to miss opening match vs Kerala Blasters?
What’s the story?
Defending champion ATK could well miss out on the services of their star striker and marquee player Robbie Keane, who is said to have suffered an injury to his knee, ahead of the start of ISL 2017.
In case you didn’t know…
ATK, who are the most successful side in the three-season-old tournament, have won the Indian Super League twice so far, and are looking to make it a hattrick of titles in the fourth season. In their efforts, they have signed former Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland star striker Robbie Keane.
Keane is known to be a prolific goalscorer, and has terrorised various defences in the Premier League.
Heart of the matter
With less than a week to go for the start of the ISL, Keane has suffered an injury on his left knee. Sources suggest that the 37-year-old has undergone an MRI on the injured knee, earlier this week, and might even have to travel back to his native Ireland for further treatment.
This means that the Irish striker is set to miss ATK’s opening game against last season’s runners up Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Kochi, on November 17.
Sportskeeda tried reaching out to ATK for a comment, but the club is yet to respond.
What’s next?
ATK are all set to get their fourth ISL campaign underway, as they get ready for their first match against rivals Kerala Blasters. Interestingly, both the sides have made it to the finals twice, and have faced each other on both occasions. ATK came out as the winners in both of these two matches.
While matches between these two sides are always hotly contested, it will be interesting to see how the Kolkata-based side fares in front of the feared Kerala crowd, especially when they are left without the services of their star striker.
Author’s take
Although Robbie Keane was a great striker back in his days in the Premier League, it is safe to say that at 37, he is well past his prime. To add to that, his advanced age may cause a couple of added injury issues, which could affect AKT during the season. However, let’s hope that the Irishman stays away from injuries and serves up some delightful goals for the ATK faithful.