Franco Mastantuono Undergoes Hand Surgery After Injury

Fiorentina midfielder Franco Mastantuono underwent outpatient surgery on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, to repair a fractured fourth metacarpal in his left hand, the club announced in an official medical bulletin. The 19-year-old sustained the blunt-force trauma injury during the team’s 2-1 defeat to Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris over the weekend.

Immediate Return Planned for Serie A Action

Despite the procedure, the club confirmed that the player’s absence will be minimal. According to team schedules reported by Clarín, the former River Plate product is set to resume full group training on Wednesday, October 14. Medical staff cleared him to be fully available for selection ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Como.

Fiorentina hosts Como on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 10:00 local Argentina time (15:00 CEST) for the seventh round of the Italian league campaign. The matchup features fellow Argentinians Nico Paz and Máximo Perrone on the opposing side, as the Florence club looks to climb out of the 19th-place relegation zone in the Serie A standings.

Managerial Support Amid Local Press Criticism

The surgical intervention arrives during a period of scrutiny for the young playmaker. Since arriving in Italy on a loan deal from Real Madrid—where the Spanish club paid over €60 million for his transfer—Mastantuono has started seven of eight appearances and tallied three goals, including a prior hat-trick against Venezia. However, recent displays have sparked debate among local Italian media outlets.

Following the 2-1 loss in Genoa where Mastantuono played the full 90 minutes, manager Paolo Vanoli defended his player to reporters. He did everything he had to do, Vanoli stated, as noted by Infobae. It is an important player who has quality. He must know how to overcome this moment. Maybe do it differently, but that is part of his maturity. The coach added that the midfielder must learn to manage the pressure that accompanies his status within the squad.

Contrasting Views from Club Legends

Not all club figures share the manager’s assessment. Former Fiorentina goalscoring great Roberto Pruzzo voiced harsher evaluations of the team’s collective attack and pointedly criticized the tactical management during the Genoa fixture. Pruzzo asserted that the Argentine midfielder failed to complete a single accurate pass during the match, highlighting the steep adaptation curve facing the teenager in Italian football.

The physical setback also follows a busy international window with the senior Argentina national team. Under the Albiceleste banner, Mastantuono featured in three friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso, and Benin, netting his first senior international goal in a 7-0 victory over Burkina Faso at the Estadio Monumental. Reflecting on public expectations after that match, he acknowledged the heavy scrutiny surrounding his role as a candidate to eventually inherit the iconic number 10 shirt following Lionel Messi’s international farewell.

Fiorentina currently sits 19th in the domestic league table with four points from six matches, holding one win, one draw, and four losses. Beyond the domestic campaign, the club holds no European commitments this season and awaits a December clash against Napoli in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.