After a devastating leg fracture against Volos, Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi faces a gruelling year-long recovery, forcing the Greek giants to overhaul their frontline and Europa League roster.
Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi successfully underwent surgery in Athens on Sunday morning after a report by Thrylos 7 International confirmed that he had broken the tibia and fibula in his left leg.
The Moroccan forward was reduced to pain on the pitch following a collision with Volos goalkeeper Marios Siampanis just before half-time in Olympiacos' Matchday 3 in the Super League Greece. The game ended in a 1-1 draw as the Red and Whites' fans showed their support for the 33-year-old, who was stretchered off mid-match.
The timeline for this kind of horrific injury ranges from 7 months to a year. El Kaabi's age is expected to play a part, as is the type of recovery program he will follow in the next couple of months. 7 months is still the earliest he can get back to training, but complete integration into the starting line-up could happen after a year.
This match against Volos turned out to be a rather rough affair for Olympiacos, as they had the injuries of new signing Joel Roca and defender Lorenzo Pirola, apart from El Kaabi. The former Girona winger had sustained a dislocated shoulder, which is set to keep him out for at least 3 weeks. Jose Luis Mendilibar will certainly wait for him to fully recover, as he has options on the flanks to cover him, such as Gelson Martins, Kostas Fortounis and Gustavo Sa. Meanwhile, Pirola's knock is not as serious as the other two, and he should be fit to play after a few matches.
El Kaabi played a stellar role for Olympiacos last season, featuring in 38 matches across the Greek top division and the UEFA Champions League. He reached double figures in the league, scoring 18 times and registering one assist. He also had three goal contributions (two goals and one assist) in Europe.
While this is not how Armando 'La Hormiga' Gonzalez's fans would have wanted him to get first-choice duties in attack for the Greek giants. As things stand, Gonzalez will be Mendilibar's starter in attack, and out-of-favour Roman Yaremchuk should compete with him. Therefore, the Ukrainian international gets a rather unexpected lifeline at the club. Clayton is also set to play a more influential role than he was expected to ahead of the new season.
There is also set to be a change in Olympiacos' Europa League list since El Kaabi's recovery will surpass the two-month period. A new striker should be added to the 21-man squad list.
