Napoli: Lukaku sidelined with thigh injury, out over three months | OneFootball

The news is a huge blow for Napoli and Antonio Conte. Romelu Lukaku, who got injured during the friendly match against Olympiacos in Castel di Sangro, has suffered a severe injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh. In case of surgery, he would have to stay out for between 4 and 5 months

Napoli, the statement on Lukaku: rectus femoris injury. Risk of stop for over three months, now…

The instrumental tests carried out at the Pineta Grande Hospital have confirmed the extent of the problem: the Belgian striker has already started the rehabilitation process and will also undergo surgical consultation.

Recovery times still uncertain, but the stop will be long

The conditional remains obligatory, but the concrete risk is that Lukaku may have to stop for over two months. A prospect that worries the medical staff, the player himself - who has had a career marked by several muscle problems - and naturally the club. The next specialist evaluations will serve to establish the recovery times with greater precision, but the feeling is that the former Chelsea and Inter player may miss most of the first half of the season.

Napoli forced to take action

The problem is also technical. Conte, at the moment, finds himself with only one striker: Lorenzo Lucca, who arrived from Udinese precisely as Lukaku's deputy. Facing the start of the Serie A season and especially the Champions League debut with such a reduced attacking department would be a huge risk.

For this reason, the sports director Giovanni Manna and the coach are already evaluating market solutions. Among the profiles being considered are:

Joshua Zirkzee (Manchester United), considered an old Azzurro target, but closed by the competition in attack and potentially available on loan.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al-Hilal), ready to reduce his salary in order to return to Europe and get back into the game at high levels.

Open scenario

Much will depend on the results of further medical investigations. The certainty, however, is that Napoli risks losing its main striker already before the official start of the season. A complicated challenge for Conte, called to reprogram the team's offensive plans quickly, a team that cannot afford to be short up front.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.