Injuries threaten fine finish
SPORT
AS THE English Premier League winds to a close, injury woes threaten to scupper the surge for a top four place for fierce rivals Manchester United and Liverpool as they prepare to tackle the remaining fixtures.
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has undergone surgery on his damaged right knee and will make a full recovery, his agent Mino Raiola said yesterday.
United’s leading goalscorer suffered knee ligament damage during the 2-1 Europa League quarter-final win over Anderlecht last month and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Recovery
The 35-year-old Swede, whose contract expires at the end of the season, travelled to the United States to undergo surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and has started his rehabilitation.
“Ibrahimovic has undergone successful knee surgery. He will make a full recovery and has not suffered a career-ending injury,” Raiola said.
“Zlatan has started rehabilitation at UPMC and will remain under the care of Dr Fu and Dr Musahl throughout his recovery.”
Ibrahimovic had previously addressed the injury on Instagram and vowed to come back stronger, while United teammates wore his and defender Marcos Rojo’s names on their training shirts before their 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley on April 23.
United travel to Spain to face Celta Vigo in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho is hoping to return to action soon after sustaining a dead leg during the club’s 1-0 Premier League victory over Watford on Monday, the playmaker has said.
The 24-year-old limped off the pitch in the first 15 minutes of the match at Vicarage Road and was replaced by Adam Lallana, but manager Juergen Klopp said that the Brazilian had not been badly injured.
“He has a dead leg – hopefully it’s not too serious, but of course it’s really painful and there’s no chance he could continue. Everybody could see he tried hard, but had no chance,” Klopp told reporters after the game.
Coutinho posted a picture on Instagram with German teammate Emre Can, whose spectacular overhead kick secured all three points for Liverpool.
“Thanks to all for the support. It isn’t serious,” Coutinho wrote in the caption.
Liverpool, who are ranked third in the EPL table, host Southampton in the league on Sunday. – Reuters