Tony Popovic not rushing Diego Castro into Glory starting line-up

Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic will resist the urge to hand Diego Castro a starting role against Melbourne City.

Perth Glory’s Diego Castro, centre, celebrates after scoring against Wellington last Sunday. Picture: AAP

Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic will resist the urge to hand Diego Castro a starting role in Saturday night’s A-League clash with Melbourne City.

And defender Matthew Spiranovic may be forced to wait at least another week before making his long-awaited return to A-League action.

Castro has made two substitute appearances since recovering from a serious hamstring injury.

The 36-year-old came on in the 74th minute in a 3-2 win against the Mariners last month. And he scored the equaliser in last week’s 1-1 draw with Wellington after being introduced in the 65th minute.

Castro’s spark was crucial against the Phoenix, but Popovic is likely to err on the side of caution with his captain against Melbourne City.

“He’s getting closer,” Popovic said.

“We feel that he’s getting stronger with each training session.

“He’s shown that in the games as well — the two matches — that he’s looking better and better.

“He’ll certainly play a part this week, and we’ll see how many minutes that is.”

Spiranovic hasn’t played at senior level for about a year because of a long-term hip injury.

But the 30-year-old has made it through two youth matches for Glory, and is an outside chance to be named on the bench against City.

“He’s played 45 minutes and 60-odd minutes in the youth team,” Popovic said. “He’s still a long way off from being fully match fit in the A-League.

“But with his quality, you have to consider it every week, and we have been for the last month or so.”

Glory sit on top of the ladder after snaring four wins and two draws from the first six rounds.

City are four points further back in fifth spot, but will enter the match at nib Stadium full of confidence following last week’s 3-0 demolition of Newcastle.

However, the drama surrounding Bruno Fornaroli continues to dog City, with coach Warren Joyce snubbing the star Uruguayan for a third straight match. Joyce says Fornaroli’s lack of commitment in training is the reason behind the decision, but a large chunk of City’s fans aren’t happy with the decision.

AAP