FC Pune City just recently signed Eidur Gudjohnsen as their marquee player for the Indian Super League season 3. On signing a contract with the club, the former Iceland captain said: “There were other clubs interested in me but when FC Pune City show their interest, intent and plans, I knew this was it.
“I have the confidence of the coach and will ensure that they find it difficult to leave me out. Everyone needs to be motivated to succeed, and I have the same aim here. I love the sport. I still love going to training every day."
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However, it now looks like the coach will have no choice but to leave him out. As reported by goal.com, Gudjohnsen is unlikely to play any part in the tournament after picking up an injury during a preseason training session. This unfortunate news will come as a massive blow to FC Pune City, who have had rather poor finishes of sixth and seventh out of eight teams in the first and second seasons of the ISL respectively.
“Gudjohnsen is leaving for home tomorrow. He suffered an injury at a pre-season training session,” a club source told PTI. The forward did not play for FC Pune City in the recent friendly against Ozone FC, and has not been training with the rest of the squad.
It is not yet known what exactly the injury is, or whether the 38-year-old sustained the injury in India or during the team’s preseason tour in Spain. There has been no official statement made by the club as of yet, but officials are expected to make an announcement about Gudjohnsen’s situation tomorrow.
FC Pune City are now on the hunt for a replacement, and will be looking to secure a signature sooner rather than later. The club’s opening fixture is set to be played at home on the 3rd of October against Mumbai City FC in the Balewadi Sports Complex.
Gudjohnsen is Iceland’s most capped footballer with 88 caps. His most recent outing for his national side came at the Euro 2016, where he came off the bench twice, and took over the captain’s armband when he came on in the 5-2 quarter-final loss to France.
The forward has played for over fifteen different clubs throughout his career, including successful spells at some of the biggest sides in the world, like Chelsea and Barcelona.
