Season-ending injury for Nix import Geraldes
- Dave Worsley
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Wellington Phoenix will be without Francisco ‘Chico’ Geraldes for the remainder of the 2024-25 A-League.
The Portuguese midfielder has injured the meniscus in his left knee and will be sidelined for the next three months.
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Geraldes joined the Phoenix on loan in February and has started the men’s past five A-League matches, quickly showing his quality.
He provided the final pass for Kosta Barbarouses’ equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Sydney FC last month before scoring his first goal for the club in the 2-2 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers in Wellington last Saturday.
The injury is a major setback for Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano.
“It’s very disappointing because for a large part Chico’s given us a different dimension,” Italiano said.
“We were starting to build a bit of continuity and were starting to look very dangerous moving forward.
“That’s not to say we can’t get the job done without Chico, but it does put a dent in our preparation.”
Italiano is keen to extend Geraldes’ stay in the capital beyond this season.
“I think he’d be a great addition, not only to our team but the A-League in general.
“You can see what kind of skill he has. He’s a great dribbler of the ball, he’s very composed on the ball, he’s not scared of taking players on and he can score.
“I’d love to have him next year. I think he’d be great. If we can make it happen, we’ll make it happen, but unfortunately it’s not straightforward.
“There’s a lot of water to go under that bridge, but the intention is if I can make it happen I will make it happen.”