clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Federico Mattiello expected to fully recover after gruesome leg injury

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

I have yet to actually watch the video of Federico Mattiello breaking his leg this past weekend, nor do I really have the desire to. It's one of those things you just politely decline and back away from slowly. No need to make a scene, no need to even entertain the offer. Other people will watch like those who stop to look at a crash on the freeway, but don't count me in on that.

There are some things to just leave alone. This is one of them.

So...

The bad news: Mattiello will be out for a long time as he rehabs from a terrible broken leg.

The good news: Mattiello is expected to make a fully recovery from said injury.

"The surgery went very well," Professor Claudio Zorzi told Tuttosport.

"Clearly as it was a compound fracture we need to be very careful, as there's always going to be a risk when there's a lesion and the soft tissue is exposed.

"We are watching the lad carefully to ensure there are no infections. We chose to use a plaque and not a screw to keep the bone in place. Now it's up to him to heal. The surgery took a couple of hours.

"We wanted to take it slowly so everything was done perfectly. When an incident like this happens, being so young always helps in the recovery process.

"When the fracture heals, all this will just be a bad memory."

(Source: Football Italia)

Yes, that's a good spin — and development — on a terrible thing to happen to a young and quite talented player Juventus just so happens to own in full.

When I said something along the lines of "I'm not sure what kind of playing time Mattiello will get at Chievo as they try to avoid any kind of relegation battle they might find themselves in. But, before his season-ending injury, Mattiello had started back-to-back games against Milan and Roma for Chievo, which enter this weekend's six points out of the relegation zone. That's a pretty good vote of confidence for a young player despite the fact his current club's Serie A future is riding on every single game at this point in the season.

Then snap went his leg as he went in for a challenge with Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan. Surgery didn't come too long after that. Now, nearly three days after the fact, the rehab process has begun.

I'd say a smile after surgery is the first step in a long journey back for such a talented young player like Mattiello.