Vinícius da Silva, the Brazilian forward who has been in sensational form this season for Flamengo, has suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out of action until at least the end of January.
The news was confirmed by Flamengo coach Nuno Santos on Wednesday, after Vinícius underwent an MRI scan on his right ankle. The results revealed that he had sustained a ligament tear and would need surgery to repair it.
"The good news is that the scan showed no structural damage, but we'll have to wait for the surgeon's opinion before making any definitive decision," Santos said.
The news comes as a major blow for Flamengo, who were already without key players such as Diego Costa and Renato Sanches through injury. With Vinícius out for several weeks, the team will be relying heavily on their other attacking options.
Despite the setback,Campeonato Brasileiro Action Santos remains optimistic about Vinícius' recovery and believes that the player can still play during the second half of the season.
"We have a lot of quality players and we're going to try to find ways to compensate for Vinicius being out," Santos said. "But we also know that he's a very important player for us and we're going to do everything possible to get him back as soon as possible."
Vinícius, who joined Flamengo from Barcelona in the summer of 2019, has made 54 appearances for the club so far and has scored 18 goals. He has also won four league titles with the team, including the recent one, which saw him win the Golden Boot award for the top scorer of the season.
With Vinícius out, Flamengo will be looking to fill the void left by his absence and continue their impressive run of form this season. The team will have to rely on their other attackers to step up and provide the goal-scoring firepower that they've become known for over the past few seasons.