Espanyol lose Puado for the remainder of the season
The Espanyol captain has injured his knee again and will have to undergo surgery.
BarcelonaTerrible news for Espanyol in what has been a very promising season. Javi Puado will undergo surgery this week and will miss the remainder of the campaign due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, as the club announced in a statement. This devastating diagnosis comes after a challenge during Sunday's match. against Levante at the Ciudad de Valencia, in which the Espanyol captain played only three minutes.
The Espanyol striker had also played briefly in the Catalan derby against Barça He returned on January 3rd after being sidelined for three months due to a sprained right knee sustained during training in Sant Adrià in early October of last year. Now recovered, he was part of the Galician coach Manolo González's plans to make him an increasingly important player.
This setback is a major blow for Javi Puado, who, upon leaving the Ciudad de Valencia stadium, reassured the fans who were cheering him on before boarding the bus back to Barcelona. Manolo González himself said in the post-match press conference at Orriols that it didn't appear to be a serious injury. However, Monday's medical tests have suddenly erased all the optimism conveyed by the Barcelona-born player, who dreams of... "to play in Europe again" Wearing the Espanyol jersey.
Franchise player
It's worth remembering that last summer, after being key to the promotion and survival of the team, the club renewed his contract, which was due to expire in June, making him the franchise player And the highest-paid player at the Catalan club. What was supposed to be an exciting year is turning into an ordeal for the player from the Eixample district. Puado, who was named Espanyol's first captain by his teammates in the summer, has barely managed to play ten league matches: the first eight and two brief appearances against FC Barcelona and Levante, the latter on the day of his injury, scoring two goals.
The Catalan footballer will undergo surgery this Thursday by Dr. Ramón Cugat. Espanyol will have the option to strengthen their squad thanks to the rule of... fair play This financial maneuver allows them to utilize the salary space freed up by a long-term injury. In other words, it's the same mechanism that enabled Barça to sign Portuguese player João Cancelo this winter transfer window, taking advantage of Andreas Christensen's absence.