Manchester City entered the new season as the owner of the treble, but immediately ran into a problem: Kevin De Bruyne was seriously injured. A partial muscle tear in the worst case, that is, the decision to operate, will leave the leader of the English Champions League without football for three or four months. If surgery is refused, an earlier recurrence is possible.
De Bruyne is far from the only player in the top leagues to have been injured. The coaches complained about the crazy schedule due to the winter World Cup last season. Perhaps now the teams will face the consequences of the Qatar tournament. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up the major players from greater Europe who are out of action.
The World Cup gave one more significant feature:
The England referees have returned to practice for the 2022 World Cup. Why is there so much added time again?
England: City leaderless, and Arsenal immediately minus two
The Premier League, as one of the most intense leagues, lost several well-known football players at once. London clubs were particularly affected.
Let’s start with Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s team cannot count on two players from the first team at the moment. Gabriel Jesús injured his knee at the beginning of August, underwent minor surgery and was out for a few weeks. There is no exact return date. The situation is much worse for Yurien Timber. The defender only this summer moved from Ajax for 40 million euros and was seriously injured in the first round of the Premier League. As it turned out later, it was a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. There are several months of rehabilitation ahead.
yurien wood
Photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images
Another problematic club is Chelsea. The team is actively updating and at the same time losing staff, which they clearly counted on. Central defender Wesley Fofana joined from Leicester for €80m a year ago, but he has made only 20 appearances this season due to knee problems. The new campaign could be a relief, but no. In mid-July, Fofana broke through the “crosses” and flew out for a long time.
Also, Christopher Nkunku will not be playing for Chelsea in the near future. The transfer of the RB Leipzig forward was agreed upon a long time ago, in the summer it finally arrived and he had to start tearing things up. Instead, a knee injury kept Nkunka out of football until November. And this is after a serious injury that left the Frenchman without a World Cup.
Rasmus Hoylund, who is also the “second Haaland”, has not yet played for Manchester United. When the Danish striker signed from Atalanta in early August for €75m, he already had a back injury. Hoilunn should return to service in early September.
Spain: disaster at Real Madrid
If it seemed to you that everything was bad in Arsenal and Chelsea, then here is a real tragedy. Real Madrid has lost two first-team players, both long-term. Three days before the start of the Spanish Championship, Thibault Courtois broke through the crosses, so the club had to urgently look for a new goalkeeper (as a result, they rented Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea). And in the first game of the season, defender Eder Militao tore, and it also turned out to be a knee ligament. The return of both injured is expected in nine months, that is, for April-May.
One can only rejoice in the fact that Arda Guler will return earlier. The Real Madrid debutant injured his meniscus at the end of July, almost immediately after the loan from Turkey. The midfielder is expected by the end of October.
The second place in Spain in number of significant injuries is occupied by the neighbors of Real Madrid. Atlético de Madrid cannot play with defender José María Jiménez, who injured his knee at the end of May. It is not yet clear when he will return to the courts. It is also not available to Reynild – the flank defender broke through the “crosses” in February and should return in September.
Germany: minus one for Bayern
The Bundesliga winners signed Rafael Guerreira from Borussia Dortmund in early July. Less than a month later, the Portuguese suffered a muscle tear and was out indefinitely.
Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrick Schick is also unable to play yet. In March, he tore his abductor muscle. The return to service should take place in early October.
WARRIOR AND CHIC
Photo: Getty Images
The most expensive injured player in Germany is Manu Kone. The “Borussia” midfielder from Mönchengladbach injured his knee at the end of June. The good news is that the Frenchman will recover soon and will probably be on the field before September.
But for whom it is especially offensive is Naby Keita. In Liverpool he didn’t justify his hopes just because of injuries, so he went to where he succeeded, that is, to Germany. Keita signed a contract with Werder Bremen and it was broken. In mid-July he suffered a torn adductor muscle and was out indefinitely.
A star has arrived in Germany, and it’s cool:
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Serie A: Miranchuk’s injury and Milan’s problems
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could have been here, but he avoided serious injury and it looks like he won’t miss the start of the season. But the footballer, well known to the Russian fans, is still on the disabled list. Alexey Miranchuk injured his back in mid-July. Last week it was learned that the Atalanta midfielder is in an individual program.
MIRANCHUK
Photo: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
It is true that Milan have problems. Ismael Bennacer has undergone knee surgery after an injury in the Champions League semifinals and will not return to action until mid-November. He cannot play and Davide Calabria, who has not been available since the end of July due to muscular problems.
The most serious things are with Tammy Abraham. The Roma forward broke his crosses at the beginning of June and will return to the courts no earlier than 2024.
Ligue 1: cruciate ligament trend
There are quite a few injuries of this type among the players already listed. But in France, the situation is special: in the top 3 of the most expensive injured players, there are exclusively broken “crosses”. Rennes winger Martin Terrier fell ill in early January and will return at the end of September, Lille defender Tiago Djalo collapsed in March and it is still unclear when he will be able to return to the pitch.
And the most recent case is Bril Embolo. The Monaco forward tore through his crosses less than two weeks ago. Recovery will likely take several months, as is often the case. It is still unclear when exactly Alexander Golovin’s teammate will return to the team.
The most terrible story is that of the PSG goalkeeper:
“I knew I would make it.” The PSG goalkeeper survived a nightmare, but it is unlikely that he will return to football
