La Liga side Villarreal has confirmed that forward Giovani dos Santos could miss the rest of the La Liga season after suffering a Grade 1 strain in his right thigh.
The Mexican international suffered the injury during warmups on Sunday as his club was preparing to face Cordoba in league play. He was replaced by Ikechukwu Uche.
It’s been a struggle for dos Santos to stay out of the trainer’s office this season, with a pair of injuries reducing him to miss seven of the team’s first 15 matches of the season, and he’s been a substitute for much of the season since then. Overall, dos Santos has made 24 appearances in La Liga this year, with 14 of them starts. He’s gone the full 90 minutes just five times, and just twice since returning from his last injury in late December.
The injury may also affect his place in the international squad. Coach Miguel Herrera has to name his Copa America squad by May 11, and the country must also field a team for the Gold Cup. Those would seem far enough away that dos Santos would likely be recovered, as a Grade 1 strain is the most mild form and he still could potentially recover in time for the end of the season. Villarreal has six matches to go, ending on May 23. However, an ESPN Deportes report indicates there’s a chance dos Santos misses up to a month of action, which would all but rule him out for the season.