A return for Manly star Tom Trbojevic remains unclear, with the fullback facing further setbacks on his ongoing hamstring injury, per The Daily Telegraph.
Trbojevic has not featured for the Sea Eagles since round six, with the fullback now expected to be sidelined longer than initially thought.
A comeback was dated for round 17, with the Blues representative now unclear on when he will be physically ready to play for the Sea Eagles this season.
The 23-year-old believes a return could be made in three weeks, but won't risk rushing back earlier than necessary.
“I couldn’t put a time frame on it, it might be three weeks, I couldn’t honestly say. We are going day by day at the moment,” Trbojevic told News Corp Australia.
“It’s been a bit slower than I have liked, I’m feeling better and hopefully I’m back in a few weeks. Obviously you have to tick some boxes in recovery and I thought I would be able to tick them quicker but that hasn’t been the case.”
Trbojevic's ongoing hamstring setbacks date back 18 months, with the fullback now having sustained the same injury for the third time within that period.
While he remains confident of a return towards the pointy end of the season, Manly may not have the time on their side to qualify for finals.
A pectoral injury sidelined Trbojevic for the Sea Eagles semi-final defeat to South Sydney in 2019, with the 23-year-old hoping for a second chance in 2020.
“It was pretty hard watching that finals game, I’m a footy player, it’s what I want to do. It’s hard to put it into words, you want to be out there and feel like you aren’t helping from the sidelines,” he said.
The Sea eagles face the Rabbitohs on Saturday in a must-win clash for their finals hopes as Manly sit four points from the eighth-placed South Sydney side.
