Culina faces anxious wait

Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg has revealed Jason Culina may not play again this season as he may need surgery on a chronic knee injury.

The Australia and Gold Coast midfielder had been nursed through the first part of the season by his club.

But having played several games in a short period of time for Australia at the Asian Cup in Qatar, the injury has flared up, forcing Culina to leave the national squad and head back to Queensland to see what needs to be done.

“”He (Culina) weighs his options,” Bleiberg said on Friday, saying the 30-year-old would see the specialist next week.

“(His options will be) whether it be surgery (now) or whether he can play and do the surgery later on if he can bear it and it’s not causing any damage.”

“And, the third option, maybe he doesn’t need surgery, he has six or seven months lay off you know.”

If Culina does have surgery on his knee it would end his season, but the midfielder is relatively confident it will not be necessary.

“I’ve got an appointment with the specialist next week so it all depends on what they say but I feel good,” Culina told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Gold Coast face Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.