Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen has revealed that marquee signing Jermain Defoe will make his Major League Soccer debut only if he is ready.
The 31-year old English striker, who joined the Reds from Tottenham last month, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for the past few weeks as he strives to prove his fitness for the Canadian club's 2014 season opener.
TFC heads to CenturyLink Field to take on Seattle Sounders this weekend and Defoe will feature for his new club but only if he is fully ready for action.
"Hopefully it's all positive but it's pre-season right now and anything can happen," Nelsen said at training earlier this week.
"I've lost two strikers and a couple of players (in the pre-season), so anything can happen.
"We've obviously got to get him up to speed with everything but if he's fit and ready to go, it would be hard to turn down a player of that quality."
