Melbourne Heart’s hopes are set for a boost in tonight’s milestone 100th game with the return of international marquee Orlando Engelaar.
Head coach John van ‘t Schip confirmed this morning that the Dutch International will feature at some point during tonights clash against the Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park.
“Orlando will certainly be a part of the squad,” van ‘t Schip said.
The 34-year-old played out a successful half-an-hour cameo with the youth team on Sunday and will be making his long awaiting return from injury after sustaining a fractured tibia in a pre-season friendly match against Brisbane Roar.
“We are still deciding what kind of role he will have but we are thinking about bringing him in for a part of the game or starting him like we did with the youth team,” he said.
Engelaar’s debut is a big boost for van ‘t Schip’s side and the coach has thrown his confidence behind the midfielder to perform in any role he is given.
“On the ball he’s a very comfortable, confident player, has a good vision of the game and of course his experience is very important,” he said.
“He can play in a defensive role and he can even play in an attacking kind of role.”
The milestone match also marks van ‘t Schip’s return as coach to AAMI Park with the Dutchman looking for his side to capitalise on the occasion.
“Every game is an opportunity, home or away,” he said.
“We are approaching it every time in that way and this will be a game that we can get our first win so we’ll go for that.
“The most important thing is we are still working on something a little bit different [compared to] before I came and we are still improving on that.
“That said we are looking with that improvement to get better results.”
Melbourne Heart take on Newcastle Jets as they search for their first win of the season. Kick-off at AAMI Park is scheduled for 7:30pm.