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Atlético Madrid confirmed Friday that center-back José Giménez injured his thigh this week and will not take part in Sunday evening's fixture against Sporting Gijón.
According to the club, the 20-year-old underwent a scan Friday morning, which revealed that he has a Grade II strain in the rectus femoris of his right thigh. For those of us who are not anatomy experts or in medical school (I am neither), that means Giménez suffered a slight tear of the muscle at front of his thigh, resulting in a somewhat painful boo-boo that will keep him out through the upcoming international break.
It's tough luck for the young Uruguayan, who has rapidly developed into one of Diego Simeone's stalwarts. However, if you're going to get injured, it's hard to time it much better than this. Joséma's injury falls the game before the break. It's a home game against a side Atlético really should comfortably beat, and the free pass from international duty will gave him time to rest and recuperate prior to the trip to Betis on Nov. 22.
It is unknown right now if Giménez will take part in that fixture, but he will have solid cover in the form of Stefan Savić. The Montenegrin has made only one La Liga appearance this season (the Sept. 22 win over Getafe) and Sunday is a great opportunity for him to get minutes and provide some competition for Joséma upon his return.