Manchester City’s star striker, Gabriel Jesus, could miss the rest of the season after crashing out 13 minutes into City’s 2-0 win against Bournemouth. Jesus was pictured limping off the pitch in pain and tests conducted the morning after the game revealed that he had suffered a foot fracture.
An Asset to City
Gabriel Jesus only joined Man City in January, but he’s been a real asset to the team so far. He joined the Premier League club on a £27 million deal, being lured away from Palmeiras. He’s managed to score three times for his new club, so the news that he could be out of action for up to three months is unlikely to go down too well with City fans, especially if they placed bets on how many goals Jesus would score this season.
City vs Cherries Win
The win against Bournemouth was good news for Manchester City, with Raheem Sterling scoring his fifth goal against Bournemouth in the 29′, thus effectively breaking the match deadlock in dramatic fashion. It appears that Jesus succumbed to injury after being challenged by Simon Francis. Footage from the match shows Jesus going down, clutching his right foot in apparent pain.
It’s just a shame that Jesus could now be consigned to injury reserve for the rest of the season, because like many U23 players from the Checkatrade Trophy League, Jesus is definitely one to watch.
City Releases Statement
Manchester City issued a statement to confirm Jesus had a fractured metatarsal. They added that until further tests have taken place, the club won’t know the extent of Jesus’s recovery period. However, it’s likely that Jesus could be out of action for around three months, which would essentially put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season.
Injury Woes
Metatarsal injuries are tricky. Not only are they painful, they can also take longer to heal than other fractures. The metatarsals are the long bones in the foot. They connect the ankle to the toes, so for a footballer, they are an area of vulnerability. Football players use their feet to balance, run, and kick the ball. An ill-timed challenge causing a direct blow, or an awkward twisting movement when going for the ball, can both lead to injury. In Gabriel Jesus’s case, the injury appears to have arisen from a challenge.
The only effective treatment for a metatarsal fracture is rest. The player will have his foot placed in a cast to protect the bone as it heals, but after 6 weeks or so, the cast can be removed. Following removal of the cast, the player will be advised to wear stiff-soled shoes to support the bones when he walks.
Treatment strategies do vary according to the cause of the injury. If the cause is overuse, icing and strapping up the foot are advisable, but if the fracture is the result of an impact, a player will be advised to start light exercise once the cast has been removed.
It’s not unusual for clubs to predict a quick return to the game, but actual recoveries take considerably longer.
Michael Owen fractured his fifth metatarsal in 2006. He was predicted to return to football within eight weeks, but in the event, he was out of action for 17 weeks. Wayne Rooney was also out of action for 14 weeks, so it could be a while before Gabriel Jesus returns to the field.