53rd minute, and he is done
Bad timing. Manu Kone came off in Istanbul on Wednesday night in the 53rd minute holding his knee, with Niccolo Pisilli taking his place. Roma ended up settling for a 1-1 draw against Fenerbahce in their Champions League opener.
“Kone left the pitch because of a physical problem,” Gian Piero Gasperini said afterwards. That was all of it. Scans will tell the rest.
The French midfielder is a doubt for the trip to Torino in Serie A. Zidane names his squad shortly after that.
Try it for $0.99.
Gasperini refuses to pin it all on him
Bryan Cristante had put Roma ahead before the break. Fenerbahce levelled after it. The game turned at almost exactly the moment Kone walked off, and his coach was not buying that as the explanation.
“The match became more difficult in the second half, and we even nearly gave away a penalty. It wasn’t only down to Kone, Pisilli also played well and he’s finally back,” Gasperini said.
The Frenchman had still started all four Roma games this season, three in Serie A and one in Europe. No midfielder at the club has played more.
A player Roma fought to keep
Chelsea pushed hard for him over the summer. Gasperini threw his weight behind keeping him, and the saga left Roma’s window hanging for weeks.
A few months on, he is on the treatment table. For Les Bleus the timing is brutal: Zidane is finalising his list and may have to go without a player he has watched closely.
No verdict until the results come back. Roma will issue an update within hours.
Discover the rest of the latest football news on our site and app mathodds!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply