Sevilla central defender Marcao has sparked fears that he will be laid low often again this season, after suffering a minor problem early in preseason.
The Brazilian defender managed just 11 appearances last campaign after consistent injury issues that meant his debut season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was somewhat disappointing. It was ended early by surgery on his hamstring too.
Recovered for the preseason, Sevilla have announced that a microtear in his quadriceps will keep him out for a week of action. This in itself is not a major issue, but if he fails to reach peak fitness at the start of the season again, it threatens to plague him with problems again.
From a Sevilla point of view, they at least have more depth to deal with the issue, now that Tanguy Nianzou, Loic Bade, Federico Gattoni, Nemanja Gudelj, Kike Salas and Karim Rekik are all on the books, even if some of those are expected to leave this summer.
For Marcao, he will be keen to get off to a good start, conscious that the increased competition will make it harder for him to return to the starting XI.
