Feyenoord cannot rely on Sem Steijn in the coming period. The midfielder is sidelined for the time being due to a meniscus injury. There is fear within the club that the playmaker will not be available for coach Robin van Persie’s team for a longer period of time. This is what it reports Algemeen Dagblad.
Steijn’s injury did not come out of the blue; the former captain has often struggled with his physical condition in recent times. Last Sunday, during the competition match in De Kuip against Go Ahead Eagles, things went wrong. Steijn came in after fifteen minutes to replace Oussama Targhalline, who was also struggling with an injury, but then had to stop the fight early.
While Feyenoord’s selection left for Brussels at the beginning of this week for a short training camp, the midfielder remained behind in Rotterdam. There he underwent medical examination to determine the severity of his complaints, which revealed damage to the meniscus. Due to the loss of Steijn and Targhalline, the pool in Rotterdam’s midfield is currently extremely thin.
The medical staff has now informed the technical staff of the seriousness of the injury. For Robin van Persie, the loss of Steijn means a big puzzle in the axis of the field. The coach currently only has three fit midfielders at his disposal in the main squad: Luciano Valente, Hwang In-beom and Jakub Moder. Youth players Thijs Kraaijeveld and Tobias van den Elshout are also an option. A meniscus injury in football has an average recovery period of two to four months.
