NorthEast United coach hopeful of Gyan's early return from injury

NorthEast United coach Robert Jarni is optimistic that Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan will return to action in the shortest possible time.

The former Black Stars skipper picked up a thigh injury in the early minutes of his side's 3-0 defeat to ATK in the Indian Super League over the weekend.

NorthEast have been a resilient outfit throughout the season so far, finding ways to score even when the chips are down.

But the task on Saturday was well beyond Robert Jarni's men who had to do without star striker Asamoah Gyan after he was taken off very early in the match.

The Ghanaian limped off within the first 10 minutes of the match clutching his right thigh.

“(Asamoah) Gyan had a very good chance to score (early on) but he picked up the injury", Jarni said after the match.

"But I think he will not be out for long. Gyan is very important to us but we have many players.

"I don’t know if he will play the next game but we have other good players in the team," the Croatian added.

Though Jarni put on a brave face, it is pretty much clear that without Gyan, his team's threat going forward is nullified.

In defence, their problem with conceding cheap goals continue and that is an area that needs addressing as the league reaches a crucial phase.