Both AS Roma and the Dutch national team have received a massive blow, with midfielder Kevin Strootman set to miss the rest of the season and the World Cup with a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. He collapsed in a heap during the giallorossi's Serie A defeat to Napoli on Sunday, and now faces several months on the sidelines.
Kevin Strootman to miss World Cup with knee injury
Kevin Strootman will miss the rest of the season and World Cup with a torn ACL.
Giuseppe Bellini
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The 24-year-old has been an instrumental part in Roma's revival this season, after joining from Dutch club PSV for €17 million in the summer. Appearing in all but two of their Serie A matches, he gelled perfectly in the box-to-box role of Rudi Garcia's midfield trident, providing the muscle and legs to complement his creative partner Miralem Pjanić.
With an already wafer-thin squad, this news comes as a big blow to Roma’s ambitions of finishing second in the table, though it’s just as much as a concern for Dutch coach Louis van Gaal. There are already doubts about the strength of the Oranje midfield, emphasised by their disappointing 2-0 defeat to France in the recent slate of international friendlies. Without a doubt, this injury weakens them even further.
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