Atletico Madrid have announced star goalkeeper Jan Oblak will undergo surgery for a shoulder injury sustained in Monday’s shock 3-0 defeat against Villarreal and be sidelined for up to four months.
Oblak, 23, dislocated his shoulder midway through the first half of Monday’s defeat after fluffing his lines to allow Jonathan dos Santos to double Villarreal’s lead.
The Slovenia international was forced off with five minutes remaining of the first half before being replaced by Miguel Angel Moya and Atletico have now confirmed the extent of the shoulder problem.
“Jan Oblak underwent radiology tests and an MRI which have confirmed that he is suffering from Bankart lesion in his left shoulder as a consequence of dislocation. He will have to undergo surgery in the coming days," a statement read on the club's official website.
With Atletico now sixth and 12 points adrift of league leaders Real Madrid, their league ambitions are all but over already. However, Oblak’s absence is a particular blow as Diego Simeone looks to go one better in the Champions League this season.
Oblak is not expected to return to first team action until April, which would mean Atletico are without their first choice goalkeeper for both legs against Bayer Leverkusen in the first knockout round of the competition. In fact, Oblak may not be fit enough to return until the second leg stage of the quarter finals.
In the last three Champions League campaigns Oblak has kept more clean sheets than any other player (13).
For more stats on Jan Oblak, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
