Boss Roy Keane says midfielder Luciano Civelli needs to get over the mental effects of his long-term injury. Civelli, who has been out of the first team since March 2009 having seriously damaged knee ligaments, suffered a setback when he limped off in the pre-season friendly at Leiston and has so far not returned to action.
Keane says the 23-year-old is now physically OK, but that when the former Banfield man returns depends on him conquering the mental side of his recovery: "God knows, ask Luca. It’s all up to the bloody player. It’s not a knee job, it’s a head job. It’s all in the head. It’s about him getting over the 18 months out.”
The Blues boss is concerned that the Argentinian is worrying too much about the injury: "He’s thinking too much.”
Civelli, who signed from Banfield in his home country in January 2009 for £1.1 million, is contracted to the Blues until the summer of 2012.
Meanwhile, striker Pablo Couñago has thanked fans for their support during his time at the club: "It has been a great experience for me and I will always remember it. This club has been a big part of my life.”
Couñago, who yesterday joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan, says that despite what manager Roy Keane claims, he has always given his all: "I’m not a trouble-maker, I just don’t agree with the way the manager treats the players or the staff.
"I do understand if a manager says to a player ‘I don’t want you to play’, but it’s another thing to question passion or commitment. I have always been passionate and committed to this club 100%.
"He said he could only see what was happening in training, but I was training with the reserves and the youths, so how could he see that?”
The Spaniard’s Town contract is up at the end of the season and appears certain to have played his last game for the club. Under the terms of the loan agreement the 31-year-old is unavailable for today’s match.
Photo: James Ager