Real Betis have been dealt a brutal blow to their ambitions this season, as star player Isco Alarcon is set to be missing for even longer. The veteran playmaker had hoped to be back after the international break, but his recovery has not gone as expected.
According to Marca, Isco must undergo a second surgery to his calf problem, after weeks without improvement. Doctors have detected a lack of consolidation of the area around the bone and a lack of bone bonds, after he fractured his fibula back in May.
It was explained by the Chief Medical Officer at Betis, Jose Manuel Alvarez, that normally the injury can take as long as six months to heal in normal people, but a much shorter recovery time is expected in athletes. Los Verdiblancos had a choice between waiting the full six months to see if it healed on its own, or trying surgery again, after weeks without much change.
#RealBetis have announced that Isco must undergo a second surgery.
His first fracture did not heal as hoped, and he will go back to square one. There is no recovery time given. pic.twitter.com/CY4buQqIPb
— Football España (@footballespana_) September 4, 2024
Isco will now recover from the surgery for 6-8 weeks before rehabilitating the area, but no return time was given. It looks likely that any football will not happen before December though, and he may be out much longer.
It’s an enormous blow to Betis, whose attack was orchestrated by Isco last season. Leading them in assists, the 32-year-old’s injury issues in the second half of the season saw a major drop-off in terms of form for the entire team. Following the deadline day signing of Giovani Lo Celso from Tottenham Hotspur, it is hard not to wonder whether that was made with Isco’s injury in mind. The Argentinian will be one of the main alternatives to Isco alongside Pablo Fornals.
