Adelaide Utd blast Olyroos over Al Hassan Toure injury

Adelaide United have accused the Olyroos’ hierarchy of mismanaging young gun Al Hassan Toure’s foot injury.

Adelaide’s Al Hassan Toure, second from left, appears unlikely to play again this season due to a foot injury. Picture: AAP

Adelaide United have accused the Olyroos’ hierarchy of “guessing” and mismanaging young gun Al Hassan Toure’s foot injury that has ended his A-League season.

United’s football director Bruce Djite says the Olyroos didn’t send Toure for scans when the striker reported soreness, brushing it off as a “niggle” during the recent AFC under-23 championships.

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On his return to Adelaide, the Reds sent the 19-year-old for scans that revealed a stress fracture in his right foot. Toure is unlikely to play again this season.

“I couldn’t get a good enough answer out of the (Olyroos) doctor,” Djite said on Friday.

“They were essentially guessing – is it a stress injury, did he twist his foot, did he just get a kick on his foot?

“They were just guessing and asking the player do you feel okay to play.

“I have never met a player in my career when a coach asks if they are okay to play that says no – so of course he’s saying yes, but he’s in pain.

“For them not to go through the high-performance process, get the scan, analyse it, no guess work, and figure it out.

“We had discussions during the (AFC) qualifiers. We said … just bring him back here so we could manage him properly.

“(They said) ‘no, it’s okay’ … (but he’s) out for the season.”

Djite said he received a message from Olyroos coach Graham Arnold during the AFC tournament saying “don’t worry about Toure, he just got a kick on the foot, he’s fine”.

“Their answer was they felt confident enough that it wasn’t a stress fracture injury, it was a niggle, that was the term that was used,” Djite said. “We’re talking about a stress fracture in someone’s foot.

“He is a young player, he’s 19, he’s not a player that is 29 … you can self-diagnose once you have got experience. But when you’re not taking care of young kids – you have got to take care of them and I don’t think that was the case.”

Djite effectively accused the Olyroos of putting their interests ahead of Toure’s.

“They realised he had a problem, they didn’t send him for any scans which is generally what you would do,” he said.

“You have got these assets, you have got to take care of them.

“Yes, they are human beings, but they’re an asset. He can help us win games, he can help them qualify for the Olympics, as he did.

“But it’s interesting … international relations subjects at uni have probably been the most important for me to learn because it’s very clear everyone works in their own self-interest.”

AAP