One of Lionel Messi's potential new Inter Miami strike partners will be out of action for the rest of the MLS season after suffering a serious injury.
Despite news of the Argentinian legend's impending arrival stateside, the Herons have experienced a torrid time on the pitch of late and have suffered six straight defeats in the league. Their recent struggles have now been compounded by a horrific injury suffered by forward Corentin Jean, who dropped to the ground in agony during a 3-1 loss against the New England Revolution.
The Frenchman was assessed by the club's medical staff and was found to have ruptured his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the clash against Bruce Arena's team. The 27-year-old, who signed for the club last year, has made 15 appearances in MLS this term so far, scoring once.
Speaking to Inter Miami's club website, interim head coach Javier Morales expressed his sympathy for the striker, while also offering support on behalf of his staff and players.
“We’re devastated for Coco but we are all behind him on his road to recovery. We know he’ll come back stronger than ever and we’ll do our part to help him through it.”
The injury also means he will now have to wait until 2024 to play alongside Messi, who is set to sign for the South Beach outfit next month when the league's transfer window officially opens. The loss of the former France U-21s star to injury will mean that an extra load will now fall on current star striker Josef Martinez to help spark a revival in fortunes.
Out of the other options available to caretaker boss Morales, he will also able to call on Leonardo Campana, who has a respectable three goals in ten MLS appearances so far this term. The lack of goals in his team at the moment will be a major concern, however, with his players having only scored 16 goals so far this season — less than any other Eastern Conference club.
Currently, the struggling Floridan team is rock bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference with an alarming 12 losses in 17 of their last outings leaving them adrift by two points. With Messi not expected to play until the backend of July, his arrival still will likely feel a long way away for this group of players.
Bringing an enormous level of experience to the team, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham will be hoping that the 35-year-old will be able to inspire his new teammates to a miraculous turnaround. With ninth place in the Eastern Conference guaranteeing a chance at play off qualification, the task for the Herons is now to arrest the slide prior to the superstar's arrival.
Currently, the Herons sit some seven points off Montreal in that final play offs spot, meaning there is some significant ground for the team to make up in the remainder of the season.
