Aside from the late controversy involving referee Jesus Gil Manzano, Saturday’s match between Valencia and Real Madrid was marred by a horror injury suffered by Guinean defender Mouctar Diakhaby. The 27-year-old’s leg crumpled after an unfortunate collision with Aurelien Tchouameni, which caused significant damage to his knee.
Valencia have since confirmed that Diakhaby suffered a dislocated knee in the collision, which will rule him out of the remainder of his season. However, his actual lay-off time could be significantly longer, with Marca reporting that he could end up being out of action for at least 12 months.
It’s likely that this would be a worst-case scenario for Diakhaby, who has been in fine form for Valencia since returning to the line-up after his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations. Further tests will be conducted to determine the severity of his injury, after which a more realistic timescale can be placed upon his recovery.
