Alexia Putellas, a week ago.ALBERT GEA (Portal)
Alexia Putellas was tired of waiting and waiting. She wanted to play and perform at her best again after having to leave the field in July 2022 due to an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Above all, she wanted to relax. But the ghosts of the past wouldn't allow it. And after suffering for a month from discomfort caused by a blow in a Champions League game and after obtaining second opinions from doctors – further tests both at Barça and in the association – he decided this Wednesday to undergo an observation arthroscopy by Dr . Joan Carles to undergo. Monllau, the same one who operated on his cruciate ligament and therefore prepared himself in case he had to intervene.
Barça's medical statement this Wednesday after leaving the operating room did not contain any further information about the conclusions of the operation. Just that it has been “successfully operated,” that it is low and that “its evolution will determine its availability.” As EL PAÍS learned, the procedure went well in a short half-hour operation and without any surprises: the area was cleaned and nothing unusual was seen.
Along with the course of injury came the course of renewal. According to Barcelona sources, the inconvenience had no impact on the club's last offer to him – an ultimatum that Barça rejected – and they are still waiting for a response. Although the renewal is in the background for now: the Catalan player's priority is to recover physically. With no deadline and still time to reach an agreement, last Wednesday the club reduced its offer by a year – from three to two – which surprised the player as there were other things on the table and not the duration. And since Alexia is unhappy with the deal, there are teams from the US and Saudi Arabia that are interested in her and are waiting for the player's decision to make formal offers, although they have not intervened in the negotiations at the moment. The club claims to be unaware of these proposals and hopes to reach an agreement with the footballer it considers essential. There will be no progress for now until she recovers and is clear about her future.
On the day of the extra time leaks, Alexia was present at her team's final game of 2023, a Champions League match against Rosengard. Alexia, dressed in a club jacket, didn't smile. It was only in December of this year that a year and a half had passed since his injury. The month began as a hopeful date, an optimistic return, but ended with the player undergoing surgery, albeit with the confidence of returning 100%.
Resign
All because of a setback in the group stage of the Champions League, in the game against Benfica on November 14th. Alexia got used to her new position of nine and slowly and patiently reached her level. But everything went wrong in this game. Something about his left knee caused him to leave the field to speak to doctors. He returned to the field shortly afterwards. But he returned and sat on the bench, not knowing what was happening.
An MRI ruled out the injury: Doctors thought at the time that it was a problem from the blow and that it would go away in a few weeks. Barcelona and the culés breathed a sigh of relief. Alexia seemed to improve by training on the sidelines, despite missing the classic in Montjuïc. But when he started working more, on the field and touching the ball, he began to suffer again. And on November 27, he left the Spanish team's concentration behind on a courtesy visit, even though the federation's and Barça's tests ruled out any serious injury.
But he continued training. They did the last MRI on December 15th, with no differences from the first one a month ago. Nothing had changed, but the discomfort remained. And although the message from Barcelona was to wait 15 days and consider the next step after the Christmas holidays, the footballer was tired of waiting. With the ghosts of the past present, he followed the advice of a second opinion and decided to address the problem through an observational arthroscopy to finally find out the cause of his problems. There are still many questions to be answered. And without answers, the wait gets longer and longer.
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