Moroccan international Chadi Riad has suffered a major blow at the start of the season after it was confirmed that he has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament tear, ending the Crystal Palace defender’s campaign. This marks another setback in the player’s professional career.
According to the British newspaper The Daily Mail, medical tests Riad underwent this week confirmed his ACL tear. He sustained the injury during Crystal Palace’s match against Everton and was carried off on a stretcher in the 70th minute.
This is the second injury of its kind in the Moroccan defender’s career. He had previously missed time during his first season with Crystal Palace after joining the English club from Barcelona for £12 million.
Riad had been clearly regaining his place during the latter part of last season, earning regular appearances for Crystal Palace before starting in the European Conference League final, where he helped his team secure the title against Rayo Vallecano.
The injury comes at a difficult time for the player, who was aiming to secure his place in Crystal Palace’s lineup after starting the season with high ambitions, only for his plans to be quickly derailed by the severe injury.
Riad’s injury is expected to pose a new headache for Crystal Palace’s technical staff, especially as the club had already moved during the transfer window to strengthen its defense by signing Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea, while also being close to signing Joël Ondoua from Club Brugge.
