Galatasaray announced that Mauro Icardi will undergo surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the club’s 3-2 Europa League victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The 31-year-old forward, who has scored six goals for the Istanbul side this season, was stretchered off the field during Thursday’s home match. He is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Icardi, whose mother’s surname is Rivero, made his debut for Argentina in October 2013 and has earned eight caps. He has also represented the national team in several club-level competitions, including the UEFA Cup and Super Lig, scoring three goals.
What caused Icardi’s injury is unclear, but he appeared in severe pain while being helped off the pitch. His injury came shortly after the end of the first half of the game.
According to the club, the injury occurred after Icardi tried to press a defender. The striker landed awkwardly on his knee and felt intense pain. The medical staff rushed to help him, and Michy Batshuayi replaced the 31-year-old.
The injury was a blow to a side with a decent chance of qualifying for the knockout phase. Galatasaray are on course to win their group despite losing their opening two games and will take a seven-point lead into the final round of fixtures.
In contrast, Tottenham is now at the bottom of the group and faces a challenging task in securing the top spot. Ange Postecoglou’s patched-up side was guilty of uncharacteristic mistakes in the first half and could quickly have shipped more than three goals at the Ülker Stadium.
The 2-0 defeat in Turkey will also be a massive blow to their hopes of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. The London club are currently the lowest scorers in Europe’s top four tiers, while their remaining five matches all come away from home.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray have begun exploring their options to replace Icardi, with Victor Osimhen being mentioned as one of the striker’s names. Napoli is in talks to loan Osimhen to the Turkish giant, but they would have to part with a significant portion of his salary. It would be the latest twist in a long-running saga that has seen the Nigeria international fail to settle at the San Siro. The 31-year-old was in the frame to move to River Plate earlier this year, but a dispute with his wife, Wanda Nara, forced him to reconsider and stay put. He is keen to be closer to her and their daughters living in Buenos Aires. The pair are set to return to Argentina for holidays in the coming weeks. They are also believed to be considering returning to their homeland once the season ends. Icardi must return to full fitness before the summer transfer window opens to make that happen. That may prove difficult if the injury is as severe as it appears.
