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Ricardo Montolivo
AC Milan struggled mightily this season, finishing 10th in the Serie A this time around. It should come as no surprise that their diabolic condition coincides with the absence of their midfield general Ricardo Montolivo.
The Italian international had missed the World Cup in the summer owing to a fractured tibia. The same injury had ruled the Milan captain out for the first twelve games of the Serie A.
The joys of his return in December were short-lived as 10 games in, the Italian international had to pay a visit back to the doctor’s table again. A hamstring problem spelt the end of Montolivo’s season in February.
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Kevin Strootman
Roma were poised to challenge for the title this season after further strengthening from last season’s campaign and the timely departure of Antonio Conte from Juventus. However, lady luck never quite got around smiling on them.
Their influential Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman missed all but six games this campaign as the 25-year-old required a second operation on his knee in less than a year. The surgery which happened in January sidelined him for six months after he was forced to miss nearly eight months of play in 2014.
With Strootman sidelined and Pjanic also suffering from knee problems of his own, Rudi Garcia’s side fell well off the pace of the Champions, eventually finishing 17 points clear of Juventus.
Luka Modric
The Croatian superstar had just got back into his groove when an untimely injury brought the curtains down prematurely for the midfielder. After returning from a four month absence on the field due to a hamstring injury, the 29-year-old had rather quickly weaved himself into Carlo Ancelotti’s blueprint and was looking the part.
However, on April 19, the former Spurs man suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee during a 3-1 win over Malaga. This season, thus, turned into a frustrating one for Modric, as he tallied only 16 appearances for Los Blancos. His absence was a major factor in them not being able to win any silverware this season.
