Heart's caution on injured Fred - Herald Sun

Melbourne Heart captain Fred training at La Trobe Uni. Picture: Chris Scott. Source: Herald Sun

MELBOURNE Heart captain Fred was almost certain to miss a third consecutive game because of a hamstring strain, the club confirmed yesterday.

Soft tissue injuries cost the 33-year-old 12 games last season and, as a result, Heart is loathe to rush the star midfielder back early.

A training session today will be the last chance the Brazilian has to prove his fitness for Saturday's trip to Adelaide, but it is more likely he will be saved for next week's home clash against Newcastle.

"Given we want to be cautious with his management, he's unlikely to be eligible," Heart football operations manager John Didulica said.

The initial diagnosis of the strain, suffered on October 28, was that Fred would miss 2-4 weeks.

Didulica said Socceroo Vince Grella had recovered well after his 60-minute intraclub hitout on Tuesday.

"The GPS data indicated he worked really hard both in terms of the distance he covered and the intensity he was running," Didulica said.

"It looks as if we're able to now step him up again early next week and get him through more work in another match."

Midfielder Jonatan Germano (calf) will be out least another four weeks.