The season is over for Inter Milan striker Diego Milito and he could be out of action for up to nine months after suffering a serious knee injury in last night’s Europa League win over CFR Cluj
The Inter striker fell awkwardly with his studs caught in the turf just seven minutes and it immediately looked bad, as his left knee turned dramatically and he was stretchered off in tears.
“Unfortunately, this injury rather ruined the night,” said Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni.
“It is a lesion to the anterior cruciate ligament, damage to the collateral ligament and capsule. It is a terrible injury and totally new compared to the problems he had in the past.
“There’s a one per cent chance of this happening, but it happened to Diego. We now just need to know when he’ll have the operation.
“It’s awful news, as we all care for him as a person as well as a player. I am personally very close to him and feel so sad right now.”
The big question now is whether we have seen Diego Milito in an Inter Milan shirt for the last time? Milito was the hero of Inter’s Champions League victory over Bayern Munich in 2100 and it would be a shame that if the last memory of Diego Milito at Inter is him being carried off on a stretcher.
I wrote recently about the youth revolution that is underway at Inter. Milito’s current contract is up in 2014, and even before this injury it was doubtful whether Inter would sign him to a new deal.
With the injury, and a projected nine month recovery, the odds on Inter sighing Milito to a new deal are extremely slim.