Special correspondent Gan Hui reported that on August 1, Shenhua Club issued an official injury announcement informing Manafa of his injury. According to the Shenhua Club, Manafa was diagnosed with a fracture of his left fibula. At the same time, Manafa has left Shanghai and headed for Portugal, where he will undergo surgery in Portugal and return to Shanghai at the end of August to begin rehabilitation, and is expected to gradually resume training in late September, which means that Manafa will be out for a long time, especially in early August, Shenhua has fought fiercely, how to survive the passive period brought about by Manafa's absence is likely to determine the final trend of Shenhua this season.
Less than 48 hours before Shenhua's away match against Wuhan Three Towns, a concert was held at the same venue. The day before the game, when Shenhua was training in the outfield of the Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, the infield was busy dismantling the relevant facilities of the concert.
When they arrive at the pitch on the day of the game, the coaching staff is most concerned about the condition of the turf on the pitch. At first glance, the venue after the concert is in good condition, but when you step on it, you will find that the venue is relatively soft as a whole, and there are potholes in some places. After returning to the locker room, the coaching staff specifically reminded the players that the field situation is not very good and beware of injuries.
Sometimes, what to be afraid of, what to come. In the 27th minute, when Jiang Zhipeng stopped the ball on his chest, the linesman raised the flag and the ball went out of the sideline, but the referee did not blow the penalty at the first time, and Manafa steals on the spot. Judging from the slow-motion replay, during the physical contact between Manafa and Jiang Zhipeng, the left foot of the supporting foot failed to step on the ground, which made his left leg pin when he fell. Manafa couldn't hold on, and Shenhua was forced to make substitution adjustments, replacing Manafa with Yang Zexiang.
After returning to Shanghai from Wuhan with the team on July 30, Manafa went to Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital for an examination accompanied by the team doctor. Initial findings were surprising and showed a fibular fracture. The club arranged for Manafa to undergo further examinations the next day, and after an MRI and ankle X-ray, the diagnostic imaging results showed that Manafa had a fracture of the distal left fibula and required surgery.
After consulting Manafa himself, the club arranged for him to travel to Portugal for surgery. According to Dr. Zhang, a relevant professional, this operation is not difficult, it is a minor operation, and it is mainly treated according to the condition of the fracture line, and most of the cases are steel plates.
While announcing Manafa's specific injury, Shenhua gave a timetable: Manafa, who returned to Portugal for surgery, will return to Shanghai at the end of August, when the club's medical team will formulate a targeted rehabilitation plan for him; In late September, Manafar will gradually resume training to prepare for his return to competition.
For the next period of time, Manafa will not be able to play, and who will replace the vacancy he has been left injured? Judging from the employment habits, Yang Zexiang should be Slutsky's first choice. After Manafa was injured in the last round, Slutsky sent Yang Zexiang, who also opened the scoring for Shenhua to help the team win 2-0 over Wuhan Three Towns.
Yang Zexiang is a right-footed player, so he has been playing at right wing-back before. At the beginning of the season, due to the lack of personnel on the left side of Shenhua, Slutsky transformed him into a left wing-back. Compared to Manafa, Yang Zexiang's attack power is a little worse, but his defensive ability is good. In the match between the national football team and Korea in the group stage of the world preliminary round, Yang Zexiang, who played for the national football team for the first time, played against Korea's number one star Son Heung-min and performed very well.
In addition to Yang Zexiang, veteran Wu Xi has also made a cameo appearance at right wing-back this season. The last time Manafa was injured, Slutsky pulled Wu Xi into the backline and played right wing-back. Including the away game against Harbour, the experienced Wu Xi also performed well in this position. In addition, Eddie can also play at right wing-back.
However, after the league break in June, Slutsky changed tactically, placing a strong emphasis on attacking on both flanks, so he abandoned Yang Zexiang, who was getting better and better, and replaced Xu Haoyang, a left-footed player with excellent passing ability, to left wing-back. In recent games, the two full-backs, Xu Haoyang and Manafa, have tended to stand taller, and the two have frequently pressed on the attack, putting more pressure on the opposition's defence.
Manafa is a full-back with strong attacking attributes, and Slutsky's tactical arrangement is very helpful for Manafa to play his own characteristics. In terms of statistics, Manafa has played 19 games this season and contributed 5 assists, second only to midfielder Xie Pengfei in the team's assist list, which shows the important role he plays in attack. He is injured and out for a long time, and Shenhua's attack on the right side will be affected to a certain extent.
Next, Shenhua is about to usher in several tough battles. The first was an away game against Beijing Guoan on August 4. In the past ten years, Gongti has left a lot of sad memories for Shenhua, and it is difficult for the team to win on this field, and Gongti has become the most difficult stadium for Shenhua to overcome. On August 17, the second leg of this season's league derby will be played at the Shanghai Stadium.
Shenhua are currently behind Harbour and in second place in the standings, so this game is also considered a championship derby that will determine the league title this season to some extent. According to the official schedule of the FA Cup, the FA Cup quarterfinals between Shenhua and Guoan are scheduled to be played at the Shanghai Stadium on August 22. The three major battles in August were imminent, and Slutsky lost a general, and how to minimize the loss of Manafar's injuries tested Slutsky and Shenhua.