The 2020-2021 football season faced a blow from the coronavirus pandemic. Players affected by the deadly virus that pummeled the globe were isolated. Stadiums operated without fans adhering to WHO guidelines of social distancing to help curb the spread. Amid the pandemic, matches were postponed, and it seemed things would take time to get back to normal.
However, the football season resumed, and so did the many significant injuries that regularly keep players out of action for the entire season. The tight schedules led to plenty of wear and fatigue for footballers who were subject to gruelling schedules of keeping fit and lack of breaks. These long-term injuries, the changes brought about coronavirus and new schedules have also impacted Sports betting stats in many ways. Below is a list of footballers who faced long term injuries during the 2020-2021 season.
Virgil Van Dijk
The Liverpool crucial centre back suffered a long term injury during the season. In October, the Dutch international hurt his important ligament in a tackle with Jordan Pickford, Everton’s goalkeeper, during the Merseyside derby clash in the Premier League. Van Dijk limped off the pitch, and fans were agitated as Jordan Pickford was not punished. Doctors carried out some scans that revealed a ruptured cruciate ligament which is the harshest injury in sports. The result was to see Virgil sidelined for the rest of the season. In March, Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool Manager, stated that Virgil Van Djik could not make it for the Euros, leaving Netherlands fans and Staff desperate, hoping he could get back to training in February.
It took Van Djik ten months to recover from his knee injury.
Joe Gomez
Some football teams endured a torrid time with plenty of their leading players out due to injuries, and Liverpool was not exceptional. The 23-year-old centre back who plays along Van Dijk arrived from Charlton Athletic back in 2015. Gomez plays a significant defence role in Liverpool, having appeared in 120 competitions for the Anfield club. He has also played during the Champions League and Premier League in the last two seasons.
The English centre back Joe Gomez suffered a tendon injury on his left knee on international duty with England. Gomez was injured in a training session with his England national team. He underwent successful surgery on November 11 2020, which made him sidelined for more than four months. However, Gomez returned to working on his fitness and working hard to get back to action by the end of the season.
Nicolo Zaniolo
During the early weeks of the 2020-2021 season, AS Roma’s skilled winger Nicolo Zaniolo suffered an anterior cruciate ligament. Nicolo got into a collision with Donny Van Beek during an international game against the Netherlands in the Nations League last September.
The result led to a cruciate ligament injury in 2020 that kept him off the pitch. The injury could not let him play for AS Roma the rest of the season, and he never made it in the Euro 2020 Italy squad. In the first half of 2020, Zaniolo was sidelined for seven months after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
However, Nicolo Zaniolo has now resumed individual training six months after breaking his knee ligaments for a second time. On his Instagram post on Tuesday, the 21- year old midfielder stated how he missed playing. He is working on his fitness, and he hopes he will appear after the international games.
Ansu Fati
The Barcelona teenager has enjoyed an incredible performance at La Liga, having scored four goals in his first seven games. The 18-year old Barcelona star suffered a meniscus issue in his left knee on November 7 in a match against Real Betis.
The injury ordeal was taken care of by a prestigious Barcelona surgeon Ramon Cugat. The doctors announced that the 18-year old would miss the grass and fans cheering him for four months. The estimated timeline for his injury would break down to three months for recovery and one month for personal training.
However, the La Masia graduate returned to training, and Barcelona announced their confidence in his return, ending a four-month interruption.
Jiminez
When Wolves faced Arsenal on November 30, Jiminez experienced an aerial collision with David Luiz. Jiminez lay unconscious on the ground, and the medical team took more than 10 minutes to treat Jimenez before taking him off the pitch. The hospital reported that the Wolves starlet suffered a skull fracture that led to internal bleeding.
The Mexican national underwent immediate surgery and recovered from his injury ordeal. Jiminez is undergoing fitness training with the club and has missed several actions for more than four months. However, the club manager has not confirmed the actual date of his return, considering the nature of his injury.