Football: Not so gloomy after all for Hassan Sunny

Football: Not so gloomy after all for Hassan Sunny

His left arm is in a sling, but national goalkeeper Hassan Sunny considers himself fortunate.

As it turns out, the shoulder injury he suffered in a match last Saturday is not as serious as initially thought.

The 30-year-old, who signed for Thai Premier League (TPL) side Army United last month, dislocated his left shoulder in the 80th minute of his team's 2-1 win over TOT SC, and was stretchered off in agony.

As he bravely flung his body at the feet of a TOT striker to thwart him from having a clean shot at goal, Hassan's arm was pushed backwards at an unnatural angle.

Army went on to win the game and move to the summit of the TPL, but head coach Gary Stevens later went to Twitter to express his "concern" for Hassan's condition.

But, after undergoing an X-ray and an MRI, Hassan was told he will likely only be sidelined for around three weeks.

Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, the highly-rated shot-stopper said: "I have a Grade 1 tear of the tendon in my rotator cuff.

"I expected it to be worse, so I guess you can say it's positive that it's just a partial tear.

"The bad news is I'll be out for at least three weeks, but, then again, it's better to be out three weeks than three months.

"Hopefully the weeks will fly by."

Hassan had initially feared the injury would sideline him for at least six weeks.

The reigning S.League Player of the Year will rest in the Thai capital for the rest of the week and will watch from the stands when Army host Bangkok United in their third TPL game of the season on Sunday.

He will return to Singapore on Monday to undergo platelet-rich plasma injections to speed up his recovery.

The Singapore No. 1 will face a race against time to be in peak condition for the international friendly with ASEAN champions Thailand in Bangkok on March 26.

Hassan can count himself lucky.

In May 2012, his international teammate, Singapore skipper Shahril Ishak, also suffered a dislocated shoulder while scoring a goal for the LionsXII in the Malaysian Super League.

Scans later showed that Shahril had damaged cartilage in his shoulder, and the striker was forced to go for surgery. He was out of action for three months.

Hassan, who joined Army on a one-year deal, has already impressed in his short spell.

He kept a clean sheet in his debut two weeks ago, when Army beat Siam Navy 1-0 and had also not conceded when he was forced off against TOT, with his side a goal up at the time.

Last night, he welcomed wife Noraidah Abdul Rahim and daughters Sarah Arissa (four) and Sofea Aliyah (two), who joined him in Bangkok and he believes their presence will help him bounce back.


This article was first published on February 24, 2015.
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