The BBC is reporting that Giuseppe Rossi has sprained ligaments in his right knee meaning the injury is not as bad as initially feared.
Although Fiorentina are still waiting to learn how long Rossi will be out for – the extent will only be clear once he has visited a specialist – it appears his season may not yet be over.
When the American-born striker went down in Viola’s 1-0 win over Livorno on Sunday, things looked bleak. Rossi was attempting to attempting to play the ball when Livorno defender Leandro Rinaudo raked him down from behind in the 71st minute.
The Italian international managed to leave the pitch under his own power but the awkwardness of the fall and the obvious pain that resulted had most believing that, for the third time in the last three years, Rossi had ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Rossi first tore the ACL in his right knee in 2011 and, after making a full recovery, re-tore the ligaments in training six months later. The injury kept him out of the 2012 Euros and after Sunday’s incident, fears raged that Rossi would be missing the biggest international tournament of all – this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
If that worry proved true,it would be a massive blow to Rossi and the Italian National Team. Since returning from his second ACL injury last summer, Rossi has been on fire scoring 14 goals in 17 Serie A matches. The form not only placed Rossi tops in the scoring charts but also prompted Italy manager Cesare Prandelli to discuss the mouthwatering possibility of pairing Rossi with Mario Balotelli in Brazil 2014.
Fearing the worst, that chatter came to an abrupt halt Sunday evening. But with the initial diagnosis now being a sprain rather than a tear, a glimmer of hope exists. Upon leaving the hospital Rossi’s agent, Andrea Pastorello, said “we are more optimistic.” The club, however, is playing this one cautiously.
“For a correct valuation of the extent of the damage and the outlook, a visit to a specialist will take place in the next few days,” read a club statement.
As we await to hear the full extent of the injury, Prandelli’s remains positive. “Because of what’s happened, Giuseppe has a great strength of character,” Prandelli said. “He knows how much we value him. I’ll say now: stay strong Giuseppe, we’re waiting for you.”
