Red Bulls’ Gonzalo Veron closer to return, won’t play this weekend

Gonzalo Veron may be making progress in his return to the field but the New York Red Bulls attacker won’t be on the pitch by this weekend.

It has been anything but an easy start to the season for the Argentine winger. Veron pulled his hamstring in the second leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League and now has missed four regular season games to start the season. The stretch of missed time will likely stretch to five games this weekend as the player is expected to finally train this week but may not be available for selection on Saturday at the Houston Dynamo.

Veron will spend Tuesday and Wednesday inside the facility as he continues to rehab and workout. The goal is to get him back on the field later this week.

“We’ll see how that goes and then think about whether he can be integrated in training on Friday, with an eye not the Houston game but the Orlando game,” head coach Jesse Marsch said on Tuesday.

Since being signed by the Red Bulls in 2015, Veron has struggled to find playing time and has battled through multiple injuries. Now in his second full year in MLS, he has 36 appearances with eight starts and just four goals as well as a single assist.​