The Portuguese international is set for his third lay-off since joining Diego Simeone’s side following a problem picked up as clubs prepare to return
Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix has suffered a knee injury in training, the club has confirmed, as La Liga sides continue preparations for a return to action next month behind closed doors.
The Portuguese international, who joined the club from Benfica last year, has been a key presence for Diego Simeone’s side since his arrival, helping them on both domestic and European fronts.
He was instrumental in his side’s defeat of Champions League holders Liverpool in March, helping Atletico seal a quarter-final berth in the continent’s premier competition.
However he may now miss the season restart after picking up a low grade medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee during training, as players step up their work ahead of the hoped-for completion of the current campaign.
Felix sustained the knock during one of the club’s scaled-back sessions, with La Liga currently prohibiting activities involving more than 10 players at any given moment.
The 20-year-old’s problem was confirmed after he underwent tests at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra and the club say that they are awaiting his response to treatment.
It is the striker’s third lay-off since he arrived at Wanda Metropolitano, having spent a month side-lined with an ankle injury sustained against Valencia last October before he suffered a leg knock in late January that kept him out of action for several games.
However, he has proven a crucial presence when he has featured, going some way towards justifying the hefty price tag his club shelled out for him to bring him from his native country following a breakout season in Portugal.
Simeone is arguably yet to harness his full potential too, with Felix fulfilling several positions in the manager’s formations before the season was brought to a halt.
Atletico currently sit sixth in La Liga, despite their Champions League showing, and face a race to qualify for the top four and stake their place in next season’s tournament rather than the Europa League.
They still however have to face leaders Barcelona and fellow Champions League hopefuls Getafe and Real Sociedad, though the rest of their schedule arguably stacks up more favourably than several of their rivals.
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