José Juan Macías to return for Chivas ahead of schedule
Chivas say the forward will be available in mid-January, after overcoming a cruciate ligament rupture.
The initial prognosis was that Chivas forward José Juan Macías would be sidelined for seven to nine months. He was expected to be available between February and April 2023, however, he has worked hard on his rehabilitation and will be available for new head coach Veljko Paunovic ahead of schedule. The Chivas board revealed on Thursday that his recovery is going much better than anticipated.
“Although Chivas are in their holiday period, there has been no rest for José Juan Macías. The striker is eager to get back on the pitch as soon as possible and is continuing his rehabilitation work ahead of the Clausura 2023. JJ suffered a cruciate ligament rupture and underwent surgery on 8 July. He is currently in the fourth month of recovery, so his specific work will continue to increase as the weeks go by,” explained the club.
Cada vez más cerca. 💪
— CHIVAS (@Chivas) November 10, 2022
¡Venga, @JJMacias9! 🔴⚪️https://t.co/X53j5Eb5kC
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“Due to the complexity of the injury there is no exact date; however, the commitment that Macías has put into his rehabilitation, in which he has already started with work on the pitch, makes the prognosis of the club’s sports science department very optimistic, as it is estimated that he will return to squad work during the second half of January,” said the statement issued by Guadalajara.
Chivas missed Macías’ goals
Macias missed all of last season due to the injury and his absence was felt, as Chivas lacked a man who could score regularly. In his place, Santiago Ormeño, Ángel Zaldívar and homegrown player José de Jesús el Tepa González featured. Coach Ricardo Cadena also used Alexis Vega and Roberto Alvarado as centre forwards despite being more comfortable in deeper roles.