After the injury to Vanche Shikov, the Macedonian manager has called up Darko Velkovski as a late addition to the squad.

Darko Velkovski, who played all 90 minutes for Macedonia U21 in the disappointing 3:0 loss to Iceland on Thursday, has been summoned to the senior squad. Velkovski was added to provide cover in case another injury strikes the team before Sunday’s game.

After the withdrawal of Vanche Shikov, Macedonia was down to only three central defenders in Daniel Mojsov, Vladimir Dimitrovski and Kire Ristevski. As a matter of fact, Ristevski is more of a hybrid since he also plays left-back, so Ljubinko Drulović decided to add another central defender to the mix.

Velkovski brings the player tally to 22 ahead of the Slovakia qualifier. He will get a chance to train for the first time under Drulović, and the manager can also use the opportunity to gauge Velkovski’s abilities. If Darko impresses, then maybe he could become a regular fixture on the team.

For Sunday’s match, Mojsov and Dimitrovski are expected to be the pairing in central defense.