Injured Vic Manuel targets April return for Alaska

Alaska head coach Alex Compton, left, and forward Vic Manuel. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Alaska may have to wait longer for star forward Vic Manuel to make his return.

The Aces have so far compiled a 2-2 record in the PBA Philippine Cup without Manuel, Kevin Racal, and JVee Casio, and the 6-foot-4 power forward said he may rejoin the team in April for the start of the playoffs.

“The team doctor told me that our target is around April, so just in time for the playoffs,” said Manuel in Filipino Friday at Mall of Asia Arena. “That is our target.”

“I’m feeling a little better, I just need to rest this because we don’t want to risk anything. If we did it might just get worse because it’s my back.”

Manuel is suffering from an injury in his lower back that sidelined him since the start of the Philippine Cup.

There is a silver lining, though, since his right knee has healed from its iliotibial band syndrome that he sustained in the 2018 Governors’ Cup playoffs.

“I don’t have ITB anymore, it’s now my lower back that’s giving me pain,” said Manuel. “We need to rest this and loosen it up a little bit because it’s really tightened up so we have to slowly release the tension.”