While an official announcement is pending, Marko Pjaca’s season sounds like it’s over, following a cruciate ligament injury picked up in Croatia’s friendly against Estonia.
The 21-year-old winger was taken off last night, his face covered, in obvious pain, raising concerns that the injury was serious.
The Croatian FA have since confirmed via their official Twitter account that the player has suffered a serious knee injury.
“An MRI has revealed an ACL tear in Pjaca’s knee after an injury sustained vs Estonia,”
“Good luck with recovery!”
The typical recovery time for such an injury could be anything up to and including 6 months. It’s a horrible turn of events for the young player who only recently returned from a previous leg injury that kept him out of action for some months.
An MRI has revealed an ACL tear in Pjaca’s knee after an injury sustained vs Estonia. @marko_pjaca20, good luck with recovery! #BeStrong
— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) March 29, 2017
Update
Juventus have since confirmed that Pjaca’s surgery was a success, although the player will be out of action for at least 6 months. A statement on the clubs official site read:
“The operation, conducted by Professor Mariani and in the presence of Juventus club doctor Claudio Rigo, was successful and the player will begin his rehabilitation programme with immediate effect.
“Pjaca is expected to return to regular training again in approximately six months’ time.”
This sucks. He was doing so well lately and we lose him in a friendly match. They should just stop playing friendlies in the middle of a season.
stupid useless friendly against who the fuck?estonia? fucking joke
seems like we have no luck with young talented players – Bouy, Mandragora, Pjaca …
Could be good news for the likes of Kean or even Clemenza…We will need one more added to the forward options and it must be a player who can play through the wider channels as well as through the middle. Sandro is probably capable of backing up the ALM slot better than anyone else in the squad. Leaving Asamoah behind him.
Do you think either of them will get a chance mate? It was already hard for Pjaca to get some minutes, I rather think Allegri will be using other key members in awkward positions to make up for losing Pjaca, more than he will turn to youngsters. Just my gut feeling though.
I only see either one get a chance for “easy” serie a games or perhaps when the Scudetto is mathematically guaranteed
Allegri will most likely consider Sandro as the obvious option for an ALM role to back up Mandzukic. Which is fine. I like his dribbling, crossing and physicality.
There is not other who can anywhere close to naturally play there. Alves can play the Cuardrado role on the right, yet not on the left. He will be forced to bring in another from the youth team, which will probably be Kean, though Bioty plays through the middle…Hence why I mention Clemenza.
The injury changes little. Pjaca is a player we deploy to give others a rest, he is not part of our ideal starting first XI. I do however personally like the idea of Dybala placed AML, with Pjanic placed as the trequartista. This could well prove a master stroke. His passing an intelligence is superior to Paulo, and the Argentine could prove potent dropping a shoulder or forging a path on his left down the left flank.
Another reason why friendly games at this point in the season should be questioned. A lot of important players have got injured in these games, for no good reason.
We lose Pjaca, but other big teams also lose important members. Look at Turan for Barca for example (first one that came up in my mind) It’s a shame to lose players to this kind of frivolities when things are about to get rough.
Juve is winning too much again for our friends in the FIGC, they are turning to old weapons to make an end to it.. https://www.football-italia.net/100386/juve-storm-over-anti-mafia-commission
I want to say “only in Italy” but I am not sure, just in Italy this circus is public entertainment and nobody can find head or tales in it.
By all means this is ridicules, but for us Juventinos it creates a fear of another witchhunt.
Genuinely worries me mate. There doesn’t need to be an actual reason for any punishments to be made against Juve, all they need is an excuse.
And not sure if there is anything to be done against it
Really no point in friendly games anymore. What they should be replaced with is sort of a tournament where there is some incentive to play your regulars. In all honesty can you name one significant friendly game in the last ten years? Me neither! It’s just greedy football associates trying to make more money. All other sports have friendly games at the beggining of the season, could you imagine American football friendly friendly game mid season? It would be so stupid. The players literally have nothing to play for in these games. Sure pjaca wasn’t a starter but he was slowly beggining to eat up other players minutes and really had some good games as of late. What now? He’s at least another year back in to being a starter…. completely pointless.
Wasn’t that super goal from Zlatan in a friendly between Sweden and England? Other than that, yes i totally agree. Who the hell cares about friendlies. Imo they shouldn’t replace it with anything. Just send the players back to their club if they have no more qualification match to play. Or play the world cup qualification in the offseason too. Idk if that’s entirely possible. Well whatever, just no more friendly bullshit.