ATLETICO MADRID star Diego Costa faces three months on the sidelines after undergoing neck surgery.
The striker, 31, was forced to go under the knife to sort out the issue with his herniated cervical disc.
Diego Costa is out for three months after undergoing surgery on a herniated cervical disk in his neckCredit: Reuters
And Costa will now spend three months recovering from the setback.
That means he will definitely miss the Champions League clash against Juventus, as well as the upcoming league battle with Barcelona.
Costa is also set to miss the Spanish Super Cup semi against Lionel Messi’s side.
And it remains to be seen if he can be fit for the trip to city rivals Real Madrid at the start of February.
The Spain international has been plagued by injuries since returning to Atletico from Chelsea in 2017.
He’s made just 41 La Liga appearances in two-and-a-half seasons, scoring just seven times.
That prompted Diego Simeone to complete a permanent deal for Chelsea loanee Alvaro Morata last summer while also spending a club-record £113million on Benfica and Portugal wonderkid Joao Felix.
And it’s reckoned that Costa is now being eyed up by mega-rich teams in China and Qatar.
Costa famously fired Atletico to title glory in 2014 with 27 goals before sealing a £32m move to Chelsea that summer.
His time at Stamford Bridge was a huge hit, with Costa winning Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Atletico re-signed him in 2017 and he went on to win the Europa League at the end of the campaign.
However, his latest injury problem means Simeone could be tempted to sell should any offers arrive.
Costa was ruled out for three months this time last year after breaking a bone in his foot.
And with Edinson Cavani being reportedly lined up on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, Costa may have played his last game for Atleti.
Man Utd and Chelsea blow as Edinson Cavani ‘agrees transfer to Atletico Madrid from PSG’… only if Diego Costa quits for China
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
