Valencia rocked by Canales injury

Valencia’s Sergio Canales faces six months on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury in his side’s 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao.

Canales featured from the start of Sunday’s La Liga match, but was forced to leave the pitch after 37 minutes after sustaining the knock.

The attacking midfielder immediately went to hospital for further examination, and a scan has revealed that the Real Madrid loanee has damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

The 20-year-old will undergo surgery and could be out of action for a lengthy spell.

Canales said via his twitter account: “Many thanks to everyone, I’ll never tire of saying thanks. I am more eager than ever to recover.”

Athletic’s Carlos Gurpegui suffered an identical injury in the same match and could also be sidelined for six months.