Paris Saint-Germain has been rocked by the news that their talismanic striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will be out for close to six weeks due to injury.
Ibrahimovic was forced off with an injury after just 15 minutes into the Ligue 1 clash against Bastia, with the score still tied at 0-0. The Swedish international suffered the injury following a innocuous attempt to turn away from his man while in possession. Although he managed to play on for a couple more minutes, manager Laurent Blanc pulled him off a third-way through the half, replacing him with Ezequiel Lavezzi.
“At first I thought he had taken a knock, but no, it was as he was turning that he hurt himself in the side. It is a strange injury,” said Blanc after his side’s 2-0 victory over Bastia – courtesy of goals from Lucas Moura and Edison Cavani.
Blanc further added “I am not a doctor. I don’t know if it is serious, but knowing Ibra, for him not to finish the match the pain must have been quite intense. We will need to see with the medical staff if it is serious or not.”
However, after the paramedics ran their tests on the 31 year-old striker, it had been confirmed the club that the he would be sidelined for at least six weeks due to the abdominal injury he sustained during the game.
In a statement revealed by the club on Monday documenting the precise nature of the problem, it read, “Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered a partial avulsion of the left oblique muscle under the 12th rib and will not play again for some time. His absence is estimated at approximately six weeks.”
The game against Bastia also saw another player added to the injury list; Thiago Motta is set to miss the upcoming clash against Evian, after he sustained a broken nose afflicted upon him by the inexplicable head butt by Bastia striker, Brandao on Saturday. However, Motta may make a swift return and be forced to don a protective mask, similar to that worn by Thiago Silva last season.
Ibrahimovic, who scored a record 41 goals for PSG in all competitions last season will nowcertainly miss the ties against Evia, St Etienne, Rennes, Lyon, Caen and Toulouse in the league, but stands an outside chance of making his return against last season’s big spenders, Monaco.
Monaco have endured a disappointing start to the campaign having lost 2-1 to Lorient in their opening fixture, before being hammered 4-1 by Bordeaux in the following match.
Ibra’s injury is a huge blow for the French champions; his injury marked the second serious setback for the champions in a week. Earlier, diminutive defender, Thiago Silva, injured his hamstring in a friendly against Napoli and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
