David Healy confirms key Linfield player set for 'five or six weeks' out through injury while another star facing 'three or four week' absence
The injury issues continue to mount for Linfield manager David Healy with the latest blow being confirmation that last season’s Player of the Year Kyle McClean is set to miss “five or six weeks” while star defender Euan East will also spend time on the sideline.
After playing a key role in helping the Blues win the BetMcLean Cup and reach the Irish Cup final, McClean was voted both NIFWA Player of the Year and Ulster Footballer of the Year, scoring 12 goals across competitions.
Healy’s squad has been ravaged by injuries in the opening stages of the current campaign – the likes of Ben Hall, Sam Roscoe, Stephen Fallon, Robbie McDaid and Chris McKee are all currently unavailable – but they’ve still opened up a five-point advantage at the Premiership’s summit.
Former St Johnstone midfielder McClean had scored four times in his last six league appearances and will now miss next weekend’s clash against reigning champions Larne at Inver Park alongside Linfield’s Big Two showdown with Glentoran six days later.
Defender East, who impressed in his debut campaign in South Belfast, was absent for the final stages of last term and will also be sidelined for a number of weeks.
Healy’s men, who have scored more goals (32) and conceded fewer (14) than any other top-flight team with a full schedule to date, defeated Ballymena United 2-0 at Windsor Park on Saturday thanks to Rhys Annett’s opener and a Kirk Millar strike.
"Winning games is not easy – I don’t think it’s ever been easy, but it’s certainly not easy at the minute,” he told the club’s media channel. “We’re in a competitive league where all teams are competitive and look more than equal at times, so we know we’ve to work hard.
"It seems as you get one or two players back and then Euan missed today, Kyle McClean missed today and will probably miss the next five or six weeks. It just seems to be where we are at the minute.
"I know I get asked all the time and supporters want to know about injuries...Euan got injured in training this week and he’s probably going to miss I’d imagine potentially three or four weeks which is desperate news.
"Terry Hayes has been at the club 40+ years as a player, staff and head of medical, and he hasn’t seen it as bad. We can only take our lead off when the players are ready.
"We’re hoping over the next three or four weeks that we start getting people like (Stephen) Fallon, Ben Hall, Robbie McDaid, Sam Roscoe back, but the ones we picked up this week...Kyle McClean will certainly be five or six weeks and Euan East could be anything in and around the same.”
Reflecting on the Ballymena win, Healy added: “It was hard-fought. We put a lot into the game and what was important was we went and backed up last week’s second half performance away to Carrick.
"It was never going to be wide open, free-flowing and with lots of chances. Ballymena were in decent form, albeit they’ve maybe dropped off a little bit, but they’d won eight in a row and beat Larne, Glentoran and Cliftonville. It was an important three points.”