Juventus defender Merih Demiral has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that will keep him out of action for the rest of the season, the Serie A club have confirmed.
The Turkish international scored in the 2-1 win over Roma on Sunday before being taken off just 19 minutes into the match. The defender had been reportedly targeted by Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester, and fans on Twitter think it is a curse that is destined to befall any target linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium:
Seem to recall the same happening to Laporte and Goulam when they were linked. It’s a curse ?
— Gareth Hesketh (@garethshesketh) January 13, 2020
Wow that was lucky we could of spents millions for him to recover thru treatment
— Julian Howarth (@julianhowarth81) January 13, 2020
Not saying our injury record is bad this season but we were only vaguely linked with him and now he is out for the season!!! Seriously speaking tho, wishing him a full and speedy recovery. Hopefully he'll be back playing well once his recovery is complete.
— Paul D (@PaulDee9) January 13, 2020
Jaw dropped at the news.
— John Kieffer (@Hesselhoffer) January 13, 2020
Geez city fans … geez
— KOmat (@komatsola) January 13, 2020
Perfect signing. Bring him in. The amount of knee injuries we get must be enough on its own to keep Cugat’s clinic up and running
— ??? (@olicoulson_) January 13, 2020
2 ACL injuries in one half in that game, awful stuff
— . (@RodriSZN) January 13, 2020
Aymeric Laporte suffered a similar injury prior to moving to City, but considering how many players the club are linked with, it’s hardly a common occurrence.
Supporters will, of course, wish Demiral a speedy recovery, but the Citizens were unlikely to sign a new centre-back during the January transfer window anyway. Defensive reinforcements to the squad are more likely to happen in the summer.