Zlatan Ibrahimovic can make a full recovery and return to training if that is his desire, according to a renowned Italian sports doctor.
Sky Italia among others reported on Monday that Ibrahimovic injured himself in training at Milanello and that the Swedish forward will undergo tests to establish the extent of the problem.
Our correspondent Vito Angele that Ibrahimovic has indeed suffered a serious injury during Monday’s session, stating it is a calf problem which has downed the Swede and that it is likely that his season is over.
The fear now of course is that – when considering his age and his contract situation at Milan – he may have played his last game for the club or even his career.
However, Dr. Pier Paolo Mariani – an orthopaedic surgeon and known worldwide and a point of reference in the football environment – has given his thoughts to il Corriere dello Sport.
“Given that I can’t talk about things I don’t know, I just say that a champion like Ibrahimovic can definitely start expressing himself again to the levels he is used to,” he said (via MilanLive).
“I can’t give the recovery times because I don’t know the extent of the information , so I can’t evaluate how much he will lose in strength or elasticity. It depends on many factors and the type of fibre breakage.
“Certainly at 38/39 years of age he can start playing again also according to the psychological factors of the athlete. If he is motivated, if he has the will to resume after a long stop, there is nothing to prevent a return to the standard levels.
“Francesco’s [Totti] experience teaches. His injury was of a different nature. Initially he may lose 5/20 percent, but it will depend on the characteristics of the lesion and the motivation in these cases is fundamental.”
The hope will be that Zlatan’s injury is not as bad as first feared and that he could possibly return before the end of the season to help the team in their push for a spot in the Europe League.
