Galatasaray striker Mauro Icardi is set to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against Tottenham on Thursday night.
The 31-year-old has been a mainstay in the squad of the Turkish champions, who have begun the campaign in blistering form domestically and on the continent.
Icardi has six goal and two assists to his name from 14 appearances this season and he came into the tie against Spurs looking to add to his impressive tally in European competition.
But the Argentine suffered an injury to his right knee in the 85th minute of the 3-2 win over Ange Postecoglou’s side. The injury occurred when he attempted to close down Spurs keeper Fraser Forster and planted his foot awkwardly. He was taken off on a stretcher.
His club confirmed that it will likely rule him out of action for the remainder of the season.
Mauro Icardi suffered an injury to his right knee in the closing stages of Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Tottenham
The 31-year-old had to be taken off on a stretcher and his club has since confirmed that he faces a long period on the sidelines
In a statement, Galatasaray said the 31-year-old ‘was diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee and meniscus damage in the MRI examinations.
‘Our player, who is scheduled for surgery, has started rehabilitation before surgery.’
‘I will be out for a few months, with a smile on my face, working hard and coming back better,’ he said in a post on Instagram.
Icardi moved to Istanbul during the 2022-23 season on a one-year loan from PSG and the following summer he completed a permanent transfer by signing a three-year contract.
The forward was a prolific scorer in six seasons at Inter Milan, where he netted 124 goals in 219 games before moving to PSG. He has a very impressive record of 61 goals and 22 assists in 87 matches for the Turkish giants.
Galatasaray will now be even more depended on the production of Victor Osimhen, whose services they sensationally secured at the end of the transfer window. The Nigerian was bagged a brace in Thursday’s win over Tottenham, which lifted his side to third in the Europa League table.