The Montreal Impact will be without their star forward for the start of the postseason.
Didier Drogba will miss the Impact’s playoff opener with D.C. United on Thursday. The forward did not travel with the team, who departed on Wednesday afternoon.
Confirmé. Didier Drogba ne fera pas le voyage à Washington #IMFC #RDS
— Patrick Friolet (@PFrioletRDS) October 26, 2016
On Tuesday, Impact coach Mauro Biello said that Didier Drogba was unlikely to feature in Thursday’s clash due to a lingering back issue. Biello said that “chances are very minimal” that the forward sees the field in the opening round, which is formatted as a one-game playoff.
“I don’t think the chances will be good,” Biello said at a pre-match press conference. “He hasn’t trained. He still feels discomfort, so the chances are very minimal.”
Drogba reportedly did not train with teammates on Tuesday, but did jog with a trainer for about 15 minutes. The forward missed practice last week to reportedly meet with a doctor regarding his back issues.
The news comes in the aftermath of Drogba’s highly-publicized refusal to play against Toronto FC during the second-to-last match of the season. Since the incident, which stemmed from Drogba’s refusal to come off the bench, Impact president Joey Saputo says the issue has been smoothed over between the player and club.