jones wrote:
Massive question marks over Arteta's ability to spread playing time and the injury, think it wasn't just a broken knee cap but some damage to the patella too? Ten months out is too long otherwise, other players come back earlier than that normally from that type of injury
I'm encouraged by the fact that it's not Neto's ACL - I would be against signing him if it had been. A player like him that relies so much on his burst and agility would lose too much with a snapped ACL.
I don't know so much about the long-term affects of a fractured patella (kneecap), it's also unclear if his patella tendon was affected. Nor what the setback in his recovery last August was - it's reported everywhere but there's no mention of what it was exactly. But on the face of it a fractured kneecap doesn't sound like it should have long-term implications, once it is fully healed, and provided there is not some inherent weakness there that means it's likely to fracture again (or the other knee).
I think this could be a very astute signing. Only 22 years old, he can play both sides, is very quick, a superb dribbler, very good passer, works hard, and is Premier League tried and tested. When you factor in that he's now been back 6 months after nearly a whole year out - it's a great time to buy because his stock's low but he's probably not far off getting back to his best form. I'm not sure about his goal potential, but he knows how to hit a ball and has good set-piece delivery, so I think there's reason to expect he can grow into a really productive wide player.
