Club America forward Giovani dos Santos looks set for a lengthy lay-off after suffering a horror injury in his side’s match against Guadalajara.
The Mexican beat his opponent Antonio Bresino to a loose ball, with the Guadalajara defender catching the forward on the knee with a wild challenge.
The heated fixture, known as ‘El Clasico Nacional’, saw two of Mexico’s fiercest rivals take to the field, but the game was marred by the horrific injury to Dos Santos.
The former Tottenham man had slowly been regaining full fitness after injuries had limited his playing time at LA Galaxy over the last two seasons.
But his current side Club America now fear they have lost their star forward through a possible knee fracture, which would keep him sidelined for some time.
With his side 1-0 ahead,Dos Santos was the victim of the rash challenge from Guadalajara’s Bresino, with the defender receiving a straight red card for the offence.
The foul saw the Barcelona youth product receive lengthy treatment, before he was carried off just before the halfway stage of the hotly contested match.
The hosts eventually ran out 4-1 winners, with the away side ending the game with nine men as Alan Cervantes also saw red.
Dos Santos has had horrible luck with injuries throughout his career, ensuring he never fulfilled his potential after joining Barca’s famed La Masia academy aged 11.
A brief spell in the senior team earned him a move to the Premier League with Spurs, yet an ankle injury limited him to just a handful of games during his time in north London, during which he was sent out on three separate loans.
Permanent spells at Mallorca and Villarreal followed, yet it was at MLS club LA Galaxy that saw the Mexican return to form, where he was included in the roster for the MLS All-Star Game for two years running.
However, this summer saw the Galaxy exercise their option to buy out Dos Santos’ contract, thus releasing him from the team.
The 30-year-old has since hit out against his former employers after making the switch to Club America, claiming he was not properly looked after by the club’s medical staff.