21.01.2020 00:15 h

Toronto FC's Bradley could miss months after ankle op

Toronto FC captain and United States midfielder Michael Bradley will have ankle surgery and could miss up to four months, the Major League Soccer team said Monday.

Bradley was hurt in Toronto's loss to the Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup final last November.

He is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, Toronto general manager Ali Curtis said, after attempts to rehabilitate the "very severe and complicated" injury without surgery failed.

"Ankles are finicky," Curtis said. "Sometimes they tend to take long to recover. You've got to be careful with those types of injuries and surgery is the last resort, typically, in terms of what you want to do."

But Bradley's Toronto and USA teammate Jozy Altidore said he thought the club had handled the situation "poorly."

"Two months have gone by and now he's having surgery and he'll be out until June."

Bradley played the full 90 minutes in the MLS Cup final, and it wasn't clear exactly when he suffered the injury.

Curtis indicated that he was hurt on a challenge with Seattle's Roman Torres around the half-hour mark.

Toronto FC open their MLS campaign on February 29 at San Jose.