Blue Monday was not a good day for Arsenal fans with the news that Hector Bellerin has done his cruciate and Sven Mislintat will be leaving when the January transfer window closes.
Although Arsenal have yet to confirm any sort of timeframe for Bellerin’s layoff, the standard recovery time for an ACL rupture is six-to-nine months and while some outlets are reporting he faces a ‘fight’ to be fit for next season, he doesn’t. He simply won’t be fit for the start of the new season unless there is a miracle.
Confirmed: Bellerin has ruptured his cruciate knee ligament. Out for season and possibly start of next one #afc https://t.co/6VaMeAodTi
— David Hytner (@DaveHytner) January 21, 2019
When Rob Holding popped his ACL earlier in the season, we asked Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT, a Wellness coach and performance specialist from LA about the problem.
He put together this brilliant video about the injury, why it happens, how surgery repairs the problem, and what Holding’s recovery should look like, all of which will likely apply to Bellerin as well.
As for Sven, the news finally came through that he is indeed leaving although, by the time Arsenal got around to announcing it, it was the worst kept secret in football.
Arsenal’s glowing goodbye letter, penned on their website, makes the whole situation even less understandable.
As per @DaveHytner Bellerín ruptured ACL confirmed in scan today, 6-9 months. Rest of squad were paintballing pre #MUFC. Francis Cagigao tipped by many to succeed Mislintat as HoR with Monchi among names for TD (no timescale). #AFC want 2 loan deals, 1 being Suarez but not close
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) January 21, 2019
All this means that two of the three men who sat on the panel to pick Arsene Wenger’s successor have now left the club.
In gossip, Arsenal both moved closer to signing Denis Suarez on loan and didn’t as noted by Ornstein in the above tweet.
From the coverage in Spain, it does seem like the move could happen this week with the player wanting to move to Arsenal, not interested in any other club and Unai Emery reportedly giving him assurances over the playing time he will get when he arrives in London.
