Guruzeta out for the rest of the season as Athletic confirm injury

Athletic Club

The Athletic Club will not be able to count on Gorka Guruzeta for the remainder of the season. Tests carried out this Monday have confirmed that the forward has a rupture of the left anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that will require surgery in the coming days.

The estimated recovery period is between six and eight months, so the rojiblanco attacker will have to face a long process before returning to the pitch.

The operation will take place shortly at a center with IMQ coverage. Guruzeta, who turned 30 last September, is under contract with the rojiblanco club until 2028.

An injury he already knows

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The Donostia-born forward has already been through a similar situation in 2019, when he was playing for Bilbao Athletic and had made his debut with the first team. On that occasion, he suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee; now the problem affects the opposite joint.

Since joining the first team, Guruzeta has played 186 official matches and scored 48 goals. This season he had taken part in five games, although he had not yet opened his goalscoring account.

A blow for Athletic's attacking options

The absence comes at a delicate time for the rojiblanco side. Guruzeta's contribution was not limited to his numbers, as his ability to link up, handle the ball and operate both as a striker and a few yards behind made him a versatile attacking option.

Under Ernesto Valverde, he reached his best level, especially during the previous campaign, in which he scored 17 goals in 48 matches. In the current season, he was getting back his feel after overcoming a muscle injury and was starting to adapt to Terzic's setup.

His absence is a setback for the German coach, who loses an attacking alternative with different characteristics from the rest of his forwards, at a time when the team has barely completed seven La Liga matchdays and still has the start of the Copa pending.

Iñaki Williams and Maroan, the main options

With Guruzeta out, Iñaki Williams and Maroan appear as the main alternatives to take up the attacking role. Terzic can also consider positional changes for other first-team players or turn to players from the reserve side who have already worked under his orders.

The option of going to the winter market to bring in another forward is, for now, proving to be a complicated possibility. The sporting department and the Board of Directors will have to assess how to deal with an absence that will affect the team's attacking planning for much of the season.

In the meantime, Athletic will have to reorganize their attacking resources to cover for the absence of a player who brings mobility and the ability to link play, with solutions both inside the area and in the build-up.