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Jan 04, 2013   |  6:44PM AET

Ange will look for replacement

Ange will look for replacement

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed he will look to replace injured playmaker Gui Finkler in the January transfer window.

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed he will look to replace injured playmaker Gui Finkler in the January transfer window.

The Brazilian will miss up to eight months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Western Sydney Wanderers.

Postecoglou said he would turn his attentions to signing a replacement for Finkler for when the Hyundai A-League transfer window opens on January 14.

“The January window allows clubs to bring players in, so we’ll have a look at it,” he said on Friday.

“But nothing can happen before January 14th anyway, so the immediate concern is just to make sure we’re right for tomorrow (against Wellington Phoenix).

“Beyond that we’ll have a look at what’s available and make a decision accordingly.”

Postecoglou said he had several options at his disposal to immediately take the place of Finkler in Saturday’s clash with Wellington at AAMI Park.

“There’s a couple that can share the load through there,” he said.

“We’ll look at a couple of different ways. We’ve certainly been working with a number of players through that area so we’ll make a decision on that (on Friday).”

Postecoglou welcomed the return of Mark Milligan from suspension in a match which will see both teams looking to return to winning ways.

“We get Mark Milligan back, which is a massive bonus for us as well,” he said.

“He’s been a big part of our first half of the year and it’s a heavy program, so to be able to bring someone like him in who is fresh certainly helps us for tomorrow.”

Fourth-placed Victory are aiming to close the gap on the table-topping Central Coast Mariners, while Phoenix have set their sights on a return to the top six following Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Brisbane Roar.

“They’ve had a couple of narrow losses that they could have easily won,” Postecoglou said of Wellington.

“At their best, I think they’re a tough nut to crack, but so are we, and I think that’s the most important thing for us to get back to playing our best.”