Leonardo Spinazzola was upbeat about his return after tearing his Achilles tendon during the Euro. The optimism has waned in the following months, and the timetable will be more standard considering the severity of the injury.
According to Sky Sport, the fullback is practicing with the rest of his teammates. However, he is mostly working on his conditioning. He has not been cleared for contact and is not participating in intra-squad scrimmages. It will take him at least another month to be ready to play, if not more.
Roberto Mancini hopes to have Spinazzola for the World Cup playoffs, but it is not a guarantee. National team doctor Andrea Ferretti talked to New Sound Level 90FM: “I witnessed his injury, and it is a severe one. History teaches us that rehab is rather slow. I visited with him before Christmas, and he was in good spirits, even though he knew he would not return quickly. He has not done real tests on the pitch yet. I think it is realistic that he will be back for the start of next season and be in full form for the World Cup.”
Mourinho had similar remarks in mid-January: “I would like to know who was the genius that said that Spinazzola would return in November. That was crazy and impossible. It seems like a week is added at each step. He just needs to stay serene. I never thought I would be able to rely on him soon when I joined. He will be ready when he will be ready. It is a tough injury to recover from. I tell him daily that he is one less training session away from coming back.” Roma just signed Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who can play on the left flank too.