Atalanta defender Odilon Kossounou has reportedly joined a growing list of absentees in Gian Piero Gasperini’s camp. According to Sky Sport Italia, the Ivorian center-back has suffered a grade one muscle-fascial lesion in his right biceps femoris.
Kossounou picked up a nasty hamstring injury in the closing stages of La Dea’s 3-0 thumping of Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League last week. As such, he was on the sidelines as Atalanta trounced Genoa 5-1 in Serie A on Saturday.
The 23-year-old is the latest Atalanta defender to succumb to a fitness problem. Giorgio Scalvini could return to the fold in December. However, it’s more likely that he’ll fully recover at the beginning of 2025. Meanwhile, Berat Djimsiti and Rafael Toloi are also out.
Both players skipped the abovementioned rout of Genoa due to minor fitness issues. Luckily for Atalanta, their absentees have a fortnight to recover now that club football has taken a back seat to accommodate October’s international break.
Kossounou joined Atalanta on a season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen in late August. He has quickly become a permanent first-team fixture at the Gewiss Stadium. Gasperini handed him back-to-back Serie A starts before the injury hindered the Ivorian’s progress.
Therefore, Kossounou’s recovery cannot come too soon for Atalanta. The player has stayed at the club’s training ground in Zingonia during the international window to work on his physical condition. Meanwhile, Gasperini hopes to have him back for the upcoming home game against Venezia.
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