Stanislav Lobotka will have an X-ray on his left ankle today after being carried off early in Napoli’s 4-1 win at Monza, with Landucci fearing a spell out.
Napoli left the U-Power Stadium with a 4-1 win and three valuable points on Wednesday night, but the mood among the travelling staff was tempered by the sight of Stanislav Lobotka being carried off on a stretcher before the game was 20 minutes old. The Slovakia midfielder is due to undergo an X-ray on his left ankle today, and the early message from the bench was far from reassuring.
According to Sky Sport Italia, the incident came in the 17th minute. Ricardo Mangas went to ground in a challenge and landed on Lobotka, whose left ankle was trapped beneath the Monza player and turned. The 31-year-old could not get back up and left the field with his hands over his face. Billy Gilmour came on in his place.
What Napoli have said so far
After the final whistle the club released a one-line medical note, quoted in full by Il Napolista:
“Lobotka: trauma contusivo-distorsivo alla caviglia sinistra.”
In plain terms, that is a contusion combined with a sprain of the left ankle. Reports from Sky and Football Italia said he was taken to hospital for X-rays on the night, and Landucci later confirmed that he was on crutches. No timescale has been given by the club, and the outcome of today’s tests will decide how long he is out.
Landucci fears a spell on the sidelines
Massimiliano Allegri watched from the stands while serving the first match of a two-game touchline ban, so assistant Marco Landucci handled the media duties. Speaking to DAZN he sounded cautious, explaining that Lobotka had taken a heavy knock and that the ankle had twisted, adding that the X-ray would come the following day and that he hoped it would turn out to be nothing.
His words to Sky were less hopeful:
“Gli è rimasta sotto la caviglia, sicuramente l’abbiamo perso per un po’, speriamo che non sia grave, aspettiamo l’esito degli esami.”
Put simply, Landucci believes Napoli have lost the midfielder for a while, although he is still hoping the damage is not serious and is waiting for the results.
Another midfield blow
The timing is cruel for both player and club. Monza was Lobotka’s first start after two games on the bench, and he had scored once in his eight league outings so far this season. Landucci also pointed out that the midfield has already been stretched by long absences for Scott McTominay and Anguissa, with Vergara and Favasuli picking up problems on international duty.
Napoli face Juventus on Sunday, and Lobotka’s involvement now looks doubtful at best. The result of today’s X-ray should give a clearer picture, and we will update this story once the club confirms the diagnosis.
It has been a demanding week for the Partenopei, who came into the trip to Monza after the six-goal thriller covered in our Napoli 3-3 Roma report.
Read also: More Napoli news on FootItalia
