Just as he was on the cusp of potentially returning to action for Villarreal, Giuseppe Rossi faces yet another long spell on the sidelines.
The New Jersey-born Italian international tore his right ACL for the second time in the last six months during a training session and will be out for at least another six months, according to the club's official website. Aside from completely ruling him out from Italy's squad for this summer's European championship, Rossi will miss the opening months of Villarreal's 2012-2013 season as well, and any transfer value that he had for this summer — he had been rumored to be seeking a move to a bigger club — has also suffered a substantial blow.
Rossi first tore his ACL during an Oct. 26 match against Real Madrid and had been working his way back to fitness with an eye on returning for Italy this summer. Without Rossi in the lineup, Villarreal have struggled mightily, scoring just 33 goals in 32 games. The Yellow Submarine sit in 17th place and just above the drop zone in La Liga, seven points clear of relegation with six games to go.