Maniche Suffers Back Injury

Since his return from a loan spell at Inter Milan last season, the Portuguese midfield maestro has been in excellent form for the Madrid side, starting every match of the season so far, and has played a pivotal role in Los Rojiblancos excellent start to the campaign.

The collision occurred in the sixteenth minute of the match, and Maniche appeared to be in some distress as he left the field. Specialists have been conducting tests and it appears the 30-year old is almost certain to be missing from this weekends’ match versus Sevilla, and perhaps for even longer depending on the severity of the injury.

Maniche, who signed from Russian club Dynamo Moscow for 9 million Euros, has scored twice in five matches so far, including an impressive strike in the Champions league versus PSV Eindhoven, and his passing and drive have played no small part in Atletico currently topping La Liga with 10 points from four matches.

To compound manager Javier Aguirre’s misery, international team-mate Simao has picked up a knee injury and could well join his midfield compatriot on the sidelines for this weekends’ fixture. Whether Aguirre’s squad can cope with the loss of two key individuals remains to be seen.


Player Ratings: PSV Eindhoven 0-3 Atletico Madrid
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