Villarreal striker Soldado tears cruciate ligament

Villarreal have confirmed that Roberto Soldado will require surgery on a serious knee injury sustained in Tuesday’s friendly defeat to Deportivo La Coruna.

The 31-year-old, a half-time substitute in the 2-0 loss at the Riazor, was forced off just 13 minutes later after falling awkwardly and left the stadium on crutches.

The club have since announced that an operation will be required to fix a torn cruciate ligament and meniscus, meaning the striker will likely be sidelined for several months.

“Medical tests carried out this morning on Roberto Soldado have confirmed that the Villarreal CF striker has torn his anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus in his right knee,” a statement released on Wednesday confirmed. 

“The player will undergo surgery in the next few days. Soldado was injured in the friendly against RC Deportivo de la Coruna at the Riazor stadium, just a few minutes after entering the field of play after half-time, and had to be replaced by team-mate Mario Gonzalez. Stay strong Rober!”

Team-mate Sergio Asenjo expressed support for the former Tottenham forward, who registered eight goals and 15 assists in all competitions last season – his first with Villarreal.

“There’s no doubt I’ll be by your side! Out of everyone, you’ll come back stronger!” he wrote on Twitter.

No tengas ninguna duda de que voy a estar a tu lado! Entre todos saldrás más fuerte! #AnimoSoldado pic.twitter.com/EgEZE4H39M

— Sergio Asenjo (@SergioAsenjo1) August 10, 2016