"It's not 18, it's 19! And more and more players will continue to break, this is inevitable," anticipated Dr. Jorge Pablo Batista in response to
the wave of cruciate ligament ruptures in the Argentine League Cup
. This Monday, Clarín counted one by one the 18 injuries that left the first twelve rounds of Argentine soccer. And, as the Boca Juniors doctor anticipated, a few hours later player number 19 was met.
"Argentine soccer is extremely difficult," said Batista, who listed
some of the causes of this "epidemic"
of cruciate injuries: "Very tight schedule, playing fields in some cases in poor condition, fashions in the use of semicircular plugs in place of round plugs, psychological stress".
The new injured player (player number 19) emerged from the match in which Defensa y Justicia defeated Estudiantes last Friday and got into the classification positions of zone B of the League Cup. It all seemed like good news but, before the debut in the Copa Sudamericana, Halcón suffers the loss of a fundamental player: Gastón Togni joins the cursed list.
"The studies carried out on the player Gastón Togni showed a
tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee
. The player, together with the medical department of the institution, is analyzing the steps to follow. Gastón, you are going to come back stronger, all of Varela is with you and wishes a speedy recovery," Defense and Justice communicated on its X social network account.
The studies carried out on the player Gastón Togni showed a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The player, together with the institution's medical department, analyze the steps to follow.
Gastón, you are going to come back stronger, all of Varela is with you and wishes… pic.twitter.com/0o8mHXGVnu
— Defense and Justice (@ClubDefensayJus) April 1, 2024
The winger, who started against Pincha, had to be replaced in the 19th minute of the ST due to discomfort in one of his knees. After a crash from the left, in the attack zone, the former Independiente was left lying on the ground and immediately asked for a change. This Monday the worst was confirmed: torn cruciate ligaments in one knee.
Now, the former Independiente faces a long rehabilitation with a floor of six to eight months. It will be the third that the 26-year-old footballer will have to face in his career. He had injured his left knee (anterior cruciate) in February 2019, also playing for Defensa. And the following year, back at Independiente, he visited the same area in March. He faced the second recovery in the middle of the pandemic and returned to play in February 2021.
El Halcón de Varela contributes three players to the list of 19 cruciate ligament ruptures in the League Cup. Before, Kevin Gutiérrez and David Barbona had fallen.
After this blow, Defensa y Justicia will have to face its debut in the Copa Sudamericana this Tuesday from 11:00 p.m.: it will do so against César Vallejo as a visitor in Peru in Group A of the continental competition.
Batista's Post
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A shared post from Jorge Pablo Batista (@jpbatista20)