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Injuries to players are a part and parcel of competitive sports, more so in the case of a physical game like football.
In the modern era, football clubs take the utmost care to ensure that their key players are available in optimum condition for big games in various competitions and do not get burned out or injured while playing a 'less' important fixture.
Nevertheless, despite the meticulous arrangements in place, both clubs and international teams cannot totally eliminate the possibility of injuries afflicting their rosters.
Five big-name players who are currently out with long-term injuries
Injury-enforced absences of key players for significant durations are tough to deal with for the best of managers in the sport.
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That is often because clubs formulate their game-plans around their best players. When these players get injured, more often than not, a like-for-like replacement is not readily available, which severely affects the clubs' performances.
On that note, let us have a look at five such big-name players, in no particular order, who are currently out of action with long-term injuries.
#5 Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli isn't yet a big-name player in the strictest sense of the term, but it would perhaps be an understatement to say that the Brazilian striker has impressed all and sundry since his arrival at Arsenal last summer.
The 19-year-old scored ten goals in 26 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners in his first season in English football. Belying his age, Martinelli has managed to grab eyeballs with his composure, flair, positional awareness, tactical intelligence and scoring ability.
After Martinelli epitomized all these attributes while scoring against Chelsea in the Premier League last season, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was all praise for the precocious teenager when he said in this regard:
“To be 18-years-old, doing what he’s doing. The goal against Chelsea alone, he runs from the edge of his box – a set-piece against his team – he takes it to the other end. “Normally, your legs are gone by then, you’ve got no energy and no juice in your legs, but he has the composure to slot it. Great player, but the awareness of the way he plays, the way he moves on the pitch, the intelligence to receive the ball, the positions he takes up. It’s mad. He’s a mature player for such a young kid.”
Soon after agreeing to a new contract with the club, Martinelli had to undergo surgery in June to repair a lesion in his knee cartilage.
Martinelli is expected to be back in action by the end of the year, and Arsenal cannot wait for that to happen soon enough,as he has become an integral player in Mikel Arteta's setup.
#4 Joshua Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich has become a key part of the Bayern Munich midfield since making a spectacular transition from defence to a role in the middle third of the pitch under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola.
Kimmich was so impressive in his new role that subsequent Bayern Munich managers have allowed him to flourish in that position.
The 25-year-old, who is versatile enough to be deployed in both an attacking or a defensive midfield role, creates goal-scoring opportunities galore for teammates while also scoring the occasional goal himself. Since arriving at the Bavarian giants in the summer of 2015, Kimmich has scored 27 goals and provided a whopping 64 assists in all competitions.
Kimmich started the new season in a rich vein of form, scoring thrice and assisting seven times in ten games before suffering a right meniscus tear during the first Bundesliga Der Klassiker of the season against Borussia Dortmund, a game Bayern won 3-2.
The diminutive midfielder underwent a successful surgery to his meniscus and is expected to be back in action by January 2021.
#3 Joe Gomez
After arriving from Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2015, Joe Gomez has had an injury-riddled stint at Liverpool.
Nevertheless, the 23-year-old centre-back has played a key role in the center of the Liverpool defence alongside Virgil Van Dijk. Gomez has made over 120 appearances in all competitions for the Anfield club and has featured in their triumphs in the Champions League and Premier League in the last two seasons.
However, Gomez suffered a knee injury while on international duty with England. An official statement by his club regarding Gomez's injury read:
"The issue was isolated to Gomez's tendon, with no damage to any other associated knee ligaments. No timescale is being placed upon his return, though the issue is likely to rule him out for a significant part of the remainder of 2020-21."
Gomez's absence is a significant blow to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, as another center-back - Virgil Van Dijk (more on him later) - is already out of action with a long-term injury.
#2 Ansu Fati
Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati has already etched his name into the club's history books despite only turning 18 last month.
After bursting onto the scene last season, where Fati became the youngest scorer in the Champions League, the striker has seen more game-time under new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman this season.
The teenage prodigy, who scored in Barcelona's home defeat in the El Clasico, has already netted five goals for the club this season. However, Barcelona received a huge blow when Fati tore the meniscus in his left knee in the club's La Liga win over Real Betis last weekend.
Fati, who has already made 43 appearances for the club in all competitions, has been successfully operated upon but is expected to be out of action for at least four months.
It is a huge blow for Barcelona at a time when have made an indifferent start to the season, and captain Lionel Messi is looking a pale shadow of his illustrious self. For now, Ronald Koeman and Barcelona have their hands full.
#1 Virgil Van Dijk
Virgil Van Dijk has been the defensive lynchpin for Liverpool since arriving at the club a couple of seasons ago.
The Dutchman, widely regarded as one of the finest center-backs in the game at the moment, has been one of the key players under Jurgen Klopp's tutelage at Liverpool.
Such has been his importance to the Liverpool cause that Van Dijk played every league game for Liverpool in the last two seasons while helping the club win their first English top-flight title in three decades last season.
In the Anfield derby against Everton this season, Van Dijk damaged his knee ligaments following a challenge from Jordan Pickford.
The player has undergone a successful surgery but is ruled out for large swathes of the season as he faces a long rehabilitation period.
A club statement in this regard read:
"Van Dijk will now immediately focus on the beginning of his rehabilitation with the support of the Reds' medical department. No timeframe has been placed on the Dutchman’s return to action.”
Van Dijk's injury is a huge blow to Liverpool's hopes of successfully defending their Premier League title this season. An injury to Joe Gomez has further compounded Jurgen Klopp's in this regard.
