MADRID, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Villarreal's Spain international winger Yeremy Pino will miss the rest of the season and the European Championships after having an operation on a torn left cruciate knee ligament.
After a training accident last week, Pino had the operation in Madrid on Monday, the same day that FC Barcelona's Spain international midfielder Gavi was diagnosed with the same injury on his right knee.
Pino will be out of action for seven months, meaning he will miss the European Championships, but could have a chance of being fit for the Paris Olympics.
The injuries to 21-year-old Pino and 19-year-old Gavi have brought into focus a plague of knee injuries that have affected Spanish football this season.
Eight players in La Liga have suffered torn cruciate knee ligaments in just over three months of competition. Real Madrid duo, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, are both out for the campaign, after Militao suffered his injury playing Athletic Bilbao in the opening game of the season, and Courtois was injured while training just two days later.
Veteran midfielder David Silva decided to retire after suffering a pre-season injury with Real Sociedad, with the 37-year-old bringing the curtain down on his career a year ahead of schedule.
Girona's teenager Joel Roca also tore his cruciate ligament in training, just days before the season was due to start. And Getafe's Mauro Arrambarri suffered the injury in the Betis game on October 21.
Finally, Deportivo Alaves central defender Aleksandar Sedlar went from glory to agony in a question of minutes on November 5, scoring the only goal of a 1-0 win at home to Almeria before landing badly after a challenge and being carried off with an injured knee. ■
