Zeballos yet to join the group, doubt for Boca's trip to Chile | OneFootball

Almost two months after his tear, Exequiel Zeballos is in the final stage of his recovery. With the proper precautions to avoid unnecessary risks, Boca expect him to rejoin full training in the coming days. With one week to go before their Copa Libertadores debut, his presence against Universidad Católica is becoming increasingly uncertain.

After the win over Newell’s on matchday three, in which he provided an assist, the Changuito suffered a serious Grade III muscle injury to his left hamstring during training on Wednesday, February 4. Since then, he began a long rehabilitation process, and this morning he took part in a small-sided game with the youth players, the final step before making himself available again to Claudio Úbeda.

This Thursday, the Xeneize face Talleres in Córdoba as the Torneo Apertura resumes, and then travel to Chile to begin their Libertadores campaign. Tuesday, April 7 was the date Zeballos had marked on his calendar, but the timeline is very tight; he could be included in the squad list, but he is unlikely to be among the starters.

With a very important run of matches coming up for the Xeneize’s season, Úbeda’s idea is to handle Zeballos—and everyone returning from various injuries—with great caution. There will be seven matches in a month, and it is reasonable to assume there could be more absences, so risks will have to be kept to a minimum.

Amid this long recovery period for Zeballos, the club and his camp remain in contact to negotiate a contract renewal. His current deal expires at the end of the year, and if they do not sign an extension before July, the forward will already be formally allowed to begin negotiating with other clubs. Although there is optimism surrounding the talks, the signing is being delayed, and there are already signs of concern at the Xeneize.

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