Earlier this week, it was reported that Unai Simon is set to under surgery on a long-term wrist injury, following the end of his participation at Euro 2024. He’s expected to be out for 3-4 months, which would have meant that Julen Agirrezabala would be between the sticks for Athletic Club until at least October.
Agirrezabala was excellent during Athletic’s Copa del Rey’s run last season, which culminated in the Basque giants winning the competition for the first time in exactly 40 years. The 23-year-old is a more than capable replacement for Simon, but unfortunately, he has now been struck down with an injury.
Athletic have confirmed that Agirrezabala suffered a contusion to his right lower back during Tuesday’s training session. Specifically, he has three fractures in the right transverse processes of L2, L3 and L4.
It’s not yet known how long Agirrezabala will be out for, but his chances of being fit for MD1 of the 2024-25 La Liga season are slim. As things stand, Athletic Club would go into the campaign without a senior ‘keeper – 20-year-old Mexican youth international Alex Padilla would be their current first-choice option.
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