Maxi blow for Atletico
Maxi Rodriguez will be sidelined for six months after damaging knee ligaments.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez will be sidelined for six months after damaging knee ligaments playing for Argentina.The 25-year-old was carried off after just 16 minutes of Argentina's friendly defeat to Spain in Murcia.
National team doctor Homero D'Agostinho explained the severity of the injury, which has now been confirmed as a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"He has a major trauma in the left knee," said D'Agostinho.
Atletico will now set a date for Maxi to undergo surgery, with the news coming as a major blow to player and club.
"This is bad news for me, I am very unhappy," Maxi said. "I knew the injury was bad on the field but I did not believe it would be so grave."
Atletico will be ruing the loss of Maxi, with the Argentinian international having followed up his performances in the World Cup with three goals in three starts in La Liga this season.
Maxi will now be forced to sit out much of the campaign recovering from the injury, with April the earliest he is likely to return to action.
