Tenerife midfielder Ricardo Leon is facing up to a month on the sidelines after fracturing two bones in his face.
The 26-year-old broke his nose and his cheekbone during Tenerife's 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on 23rd September.
Ricardo sustained the injury in a challenge with Bilbao's promising midfield talent Ander Iturraspe.
He required urgent attention on the field and has subsequently gone under the knife in an effort to fully resolve the problem.
His surgeon has revealed that Ricardo has suffered no further damage to his skull, but admits the playmaker could be out of action for the foreseeable future.
"Ricardo is sad because a blow at the beginning of the season is always disappointing," said Juan Jose Valencia.
"But we believe that he could make a possible return to training in two weeks and after that we will re-evaluate how the injury is healing."
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