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We have talked about Yangel Herrera’s imminent return ad nauseam during this long international break. But finally, it has been confirmed by manager Domé Torrent that the young Venezuelan will be available this upcoming weekend against D.C. United.
According to The Athletic’s Christian Araos, Torrent says that Herrera can play “15-20 minutes” against the Black-and-Reds this Sunday.
Right now, Dome Torrent thinks Yangel Herrera can play 15-20 mins vs D.C.
— Christian Araos (@Christian_Araos) October 11, 2018
Herrera moved well in training and was able to shoot with power during scrimmages. #NYCFC
Due to the nature of Herrera’s injury, all signs seem to point to Torrent using him in a substitute role to gauge his fitness levels and save his first start for the opening round of the playoffs.
New York City FC’s rapid descent into mediocrity could be traced back to Herrera’s brutal ankle injury this past spring. Since then, the Blues have attempted to replace him with Ebenezer Ofori with mixed results. James Sands also received some time and was overall pretty impressive, but it looks like the young Rye, NY native will have to wait one more season before getting more consistent minutes.