Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares appears to have picked up his fifth muscular injury of the season, withdrawing just 34 minutes into Sunday’s game against Atalanta.
Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares was named in the starting lineup for loan club Lazio on Sunday, but he lasted just 34 minutes before pulling up and falling to the floor.
The defender pulled his shirt over his head in frustration and limped off the field for a substitution, with Football-Italia reporting that he’s now expected to miss at least the upcoming Europa League quarter-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
Tavares has been widely praised for his performances on loan with Lazio, and the club appear to believe their purchase clause is a bargain deal. But the 25-year-old’s spell has been ravaged by injuries so far.
The left-back first suffered a hamstring injury in November, then an adductor injury in January.
Tavares’ third muscular injury came at the start of March, forcing him to miss a game against Udinese, and though he returned to the pitch the following midweek, he then suffered a setback and missed another Lazio fixture as well as the entire international break.
Once again, Tavares made his comeback on Sunday, only to suffer his third injury in a month and his fifth injury of the season.
It seems pretty clear that Tavares’ recent problems are linked, and that he hasn’t been ready to return as quickly as his club have believed he would be.
Despite all the injuries, the defender has still played 27 times this season, so it seems likely the obligation to buy in his loan deal will become active. Arsenal will net a fee of £7-7.5m, in addition to a sell-on clause worth in excess of 25%.