CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP
New contract for Hany Mukhtar, who remains a doubt for Nashville ahead of Inter Miami clash
The attacker is still recovering from an injury and his presence in the XI is not guaranteed.
Inter Miami have yet another test in their jam-packed calendar when they take on SC Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this Thursday, March 7, with kick off at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Ahead of the game, the Tennessee team were given the negative news that key attacker Hany Mukhtar was still a doubt as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury that he suffered during his side’s 3-0 win over Moca FC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Manager Gary Smith announced ahead of the game that the German midfielder, who joined MLS from Brøndby in 2020, had experienced a slower recovery than initially hoped, putting his participation at risk. However, the manager revealed that Mukhtar has started full training with the team and there is still a slim chance that the 28-year-old makes the cut come kick-off.
As well as the news on his fitness, transfer tweeter Fabrizio Romano revealed ahead of the game that Nashville “have agreed on new deal for Hany Mukhtar until 2027″ and that the player is “set to sign [the] new contract soon”, which comes as a contrast to the huge blow his potential absence would be to MLS’s most in-form side this season.
Mukhtar ‘back in the group and working’
“They are not complications” Smith clarified, “but there certainly have, in the last 10 days or so, been maybe one or two steps that have been taken that he’s had a reaction to. He is back in the group and working and, you know, there certainly will be a thought about where and how Hany might be used tomorrow.”
“For sure, a little bit more disappointment in the last couple of weeks that we’ve not been able to include him in the group, just given the way that the injury occurred and how early we all thought that we’d caught it”, he concluded.
Striker Sam Surridge is another player who suffered a shoulder injury in the game against Moca, although his situation is different from that of Mukhtar: “Sam’s in a very different boat”, admitted Smith, “he’s just starting to do some work out on the field and will not be available for tomorrow.”
“So that’s a disappointment, but he’s in a much, much better place than I think we originally thought he would be with regards to the impact and the problem that occurred. So we’re not a million miles away with Sam, but he certainly won’t be ready for tomorrow.”
Nashville SC play Inter Miami in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 tie at Geodis Park on Thursday, March 7, with kick off at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Follow the action live with AS USA.