UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls will likely begin their first playoff campaign since 2008 without the services of Thierry Henry, who missed much of Tuesday’s training with a knee injury.
“He probably has too much pain to be involved in this Saturday’s game,” head coach Hans Backe said from the team's training facility on Tuesday morning. “Looks like he’s probably out.”
Though he trained and drilled with the team for the early part of Tuesday’s training session, which included small-sided possession games, when the team broke into a 4-vs.-4 match and then scrimmaged, Henry was with the team’s medical staff getting attention.
“Didn’t look that good, to be honest,” Backe said of Henry’s training stint.
Backe talked with Henry midway through the training session before the player walked off the field and toward the team’s facility. The head coach, however, seemed slightly more optimistic about the striker’s availability for Nov. 4 when the Red Bulls host San Jose in the second leg of the playoff series.
“I think it’s still possible for [Henry to play] next Thursday,” Backe said.
Henry's knee injury has kept him out of the Red Bulls' past two games.
Kristian R. Dyer can be reached for comment at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com and followed at twitter.com/kdyer1012
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