América look for replacement for Lara

América are looking for a right-back for the Clausura 2023 after Emilio Lara suffered a recent injury. Lara was not involved in the Sky Cup and after being eliminated from the tournament, coach Fernando Ortiz revealed that Lara has a fracture in his ribs. Ortiz says he needs a replacement in the position and the board are already working on finding the right player.

“Emilio suffered a rib fracture. I’m still waiting for a right-back,” Ortiz said at a press conference after his side lost to Cruz Azul in the Sky Cup. The Argentine has been saying for weeks that he needs a full-back to cover the loss of Jorge Sánchez, who previously left for Europe. Lara was the cover, but with his injury, the only option left for the coach to fill that position is Miguel Layún, who can play in defence and also in midfield. Jürgen Damm is also available, although it is not his natural position. In theory, the replacement should be Mexican as the club currently have a surplus of foreign players.

At the moment the only signings that have arrived are Israel Reyes and Luis Malagon who joined after the departure of Guillermo Ochoa. In terms of departures, the outlook is not yet 100 percent clear, although Jorge Meré, Bruno Valdez and Federico Viñas are the players who could leave the Águilas.

Ortiz has not yet confirmed who his captain will be for the new season. With the departure of Ochoa to Italian club Salernitana, the club need to sign another netminder. Óscar Jiménez would be the main candidate to be the new starting goalkeeper for América, however, Ortiz says that the competition is open between Jiménez and Luis Malagón.

“It’s a dialogue with the players (the captaincy issue) and we’re going to resolve it at the start of the championship. There are several captains and we will see at the start of the championship. Jiménez and Malagón are competing for the position. We’re going to have a friendly on 30 December and I’ll make a decision then,” he said.

América will play their Clausura 2023 opener on 7 January at the Estadio Azteca when they host Querétaro.