Top Stories

Mid-Day Ticker: Thiago hurt, Man U leaves behind experienced trio and more

Thiago Alcantar (Getty Images)

Thiago's injury may not be as bad as some initially feared, but the Barcelona midfielder will still miss a good chunk of the season because of it.

Thiago is expected to be out for at least the next eight weeks after suffering a knee injury in Barcelona's 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla this past Saturday. Tests on Monday confirmed the 22-year-old had sustained a medial ligament tear in his right knee after entering the game as substitute and he will be out of action until at least December.

This is not the first time Thiago has been forced out of action this year. He missed out on this past summer's Olympics and Euro 2012 because of a knock to his shin.

Here are more stories from Monday:

FERGUSON OMITS SCHOLES, CARRICK, GIGGS FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SQUAD

Manchester United will not have to wait very long to bounce back from their surprise weekend loss to Tottenham, but they will have to do so without three of their more experienced midfielders. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has left out Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs from the 21-man squad that will battle CFR Cluj in the Champions League on Tuesday. Ferguson has instead preferred to go with a younger squad for their second group stage match.

LLORENTE WALKS OUT OF BILBAO TRAINING

Things are going from bad to worse for Fernando Llorente and Athletic Bilbao. Llorente's strained relationship with manager Marcelo Bielsa took a turn for the worse on Monday, as the Spanish striker left practice early after a dispute with his coach. Bielsa had stopped training to offer some critiques but Llorente walked out after the exchange while the rest of the team finished the session. Llorente has been used as a reserve this season, coming off the bench six times while scoring one goal.

GERRARD HOPING TO STICK WITH LIVERPOOL AFTER CURRENT DEAL

If Liverpool captain Steve Gerrard has his way, he will be with the club for the foreseeable future. Gerrard signed a deal this past January that will keep him with the club through the end of next season, but he admitted he hopes to continue to play for the Reds beyond that. The 32-year-old Gerrard has been with Liverpool since beginning his professional career in 1998.

——-

How do you see Barcelona faring without Thiago? Should Ferguson have included the three experienced midfielders on the roster for Tuesday's game? Think Llorente will get punished for leaving training early?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I love Stevie G but I dont see him being a fulltime starting every game player even from last season. The euros took alot out of him, plus a new system that he may not fit as well into as some of liverpool’s newer players.

    He needs to get signed for another 3 year contract with a nod that maybe his england career cannot continue while playing the minutes hes playing for Liverpool.

    I hope he stays though and plays well, hes a living legend for england and liverpool and i dont think liverpool reaches top four in the near future without him being a huge cog. YNWA.

    Reply

Leave a Comment