Melbourne Victory has announced that star midfielder Juan Mata will require surgery after sustaining an elbow fracture in their recent 1-0 defeat to Wellington Phoenix.
Mata suffered the injury during the opening half at AAMI Park but managed to continue until the 88th minute, when he was eventually substituted.
However, scans later that evening revealed the severity of the World Cup winner’s injury, leading to further consultations that confirmed the need for surgical intervention.
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“It’s disappointing to lose Juan to injury,” said Melbourne Victory’s Head Coach Arthur Diles.
“Our main focus as Melbourne Victory is to support his recovery in any way possible. We are hopeful he can rejoin the squad during the 2025-26 season.”
Since joining the Victory from Western Sydney Wanderers, Mata has emerged as one of the standout performers in the Isuzu UTE A-League this season.
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With an impressive tally of five goals and 13 assists across 23 matches, Mata’s contributions have propelled Victory to fourth place on the ladder, positioning them for a potential berth in this year’s Finals Series.
The Spanish World Cup champion leads the Opta statistics in assists (13) and chances created (85), and he is also second in expected assists (xA) with a figure of 6.5. His outstanding performances have seen him honoured as the Shark Fan Player of the Month on two occasions this season.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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