Atletico Madrid dodged a bit of a bullet today after tests determined that striker Radamel Falcao has somewhere between a Grade I and Grade II strain of his left hamstring.
Radamel Falcao has a strained hamstring, return date tough to pinpoint
Tests determined that Falcao did not tear his hamstring, suffering instead a minor strain. At this point the club says he could be back this week or miss a couple weeks, depending on how the injury reacts to treatment.
So what does that mean?
First off, it’s not a tear so that’s good news. The bad news is that this type of injury is a bit tricky to pinpoint a return time for. Reports are that Falcao is expected to miss around three weeks but it could be more or it could be less depending on how the injury reacts to treatment. Essentially, since there’s some damage to the muscle pushing his recovery to quickly could exacerbate the problem and lead to a much worse situation, like a tear.
Not the greatest situation for Atleti considering they're busy with both Copa del Rey and La Liga matches at the moment. Plus, the Europa League knockout rounds are looming. Falcao could be out until the middle of February but there is a chance he could play as soon as this week (either against Real Betis in the Copa del Rey or against Atheltic Bilbao on Sunday) if team doctors decide he can go.
Confused yet? Me too, but rest assured we’ll be following this story and getting you updated on any changes to Falcao’s status.
The Colombian striker suffered the injury on Sunday around the hour mark of Atleti's win over Levante, pulling up after chasing down a loose ball.
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