The Groupama Stadium held its breath on Sunday evening at the 67e minute of the closing poster of the 9e Ligue 1 day between OL and Strasbourg. Hit in the right ankle in a tackle by Alsatian defender Ismaël Doukouré, Malick Fofana had to leave the field on a stretcher. Then replaced in haste by Alfonso Moreira who finally gave victory to Les Gones (2-1).
A few minutes after the final whistle, Corentin Tolisso was able to confide on the Ligue 1+ channel that the worst was not feared a priori for the Belgian will-o-the-wisp. In other words, no fracture but a major sprain diagnosed at first glance by the Rhone medical staff. A verdict completed in the light of the examinations carried out this Monday.
“Examinations carried out overnight at the hospital, then confirmed today, revealed a serious sprain of the right ankle, accompanied by lesions most likely requiring surgical intervention, which should keep him away from the field for several months,” we can read in an OL press release released today.
Year over for Malick Fofana
“Olympique Lyonnais will put in place all the necessary arrangements to provide Malick Fofana with the best medical monitoring and support him in his rehabilitation, in order to consider his return to the group as quickly as possible,” adds the Lyon communications unit.
Malick Fofana should therefore not return to competition before 2026. A real blow for Lyon who are losing their best offensive asset – the very one for whom the management chose to sacrifice Georgian center forward Georges Mikautadze in the final hours of the transfer window, transferring the latter to Villarreal after the Red Devil refused to join Everton.
