Boca's unexpected absentee for Unión clash | OneFootball

Amid an extremely favorable situation, Boca were hit with very bad news after this morning’s training session: Tomás Belmonte suffered a meniscus tear and will need surgery. His recovery will keep him out of the team until 2027. A very significant blow to Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s midfield.

At Wednesday’s training session at Boca Predio, Toto collided with a teammate and was left in pain, but he completed the session. While waiting to see how he progressed, he reported again on Thursday to train as usual, but the pain prevented him from joining the Vasco’s session. That is why they decided to carry out tests to determine the extent of the injury.

And although the diagnosis was not catastrophic, it did reveal a meniscus tear and the unavoidable need for surgery. Belmonte will now have to go under the knife, and his recovery will prevent him from playing again for the remainder of 2026. If all goes well, he will be able to begin preseason training as normal.

For the Vasco, the former Lanús player was a constant backup option in midfield. Although the starting trio is made up of Rodrigo Ascacíbar, Leandro Paredes and Milton Delgado, he was always the first alternative to fill any of the three spots. In fact, since the current coaching staff arrived, he has played nine matches (one goal), five of them as a starter.

Belmonte’s absence comes almost at the same time as the imminent return of Rodrigo Battaglia. The 35-year-old midfielder has already been medically cleared, and they are only waiting for him to regain match fitness before Arruabarrena considers him again. Although they have different characteristics, the coach would gain another reliable option for the decisive stretch of the year ahead.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.