USMNT’s Konrad de la Fuente suffers season-ending injury
Olympique Marseille confirmed prior to their Europa Conference quarter-final fixture against PAOK that the American has a crippling cartilage injury and will require surgery.
Konrad De La Fuente has said goodbye to the 2021/22 season after Olympique Marseille confirmed on Wednesday that the American suffered a serious injury and will require surgery. The Ligue 1 club confirmed the news prior to their Europa Conference quarter-final meeting against PAOK on Thursday night.
Injury update
“De la Fuente has a crippling cartilage injury, which requires surgery. I think, after the surgery, he’ll need three or four weeks, so it may be very difficult to see him play again this season,” said Marseille’s head coach Jorge Sampaoli.
De la Fuente had a strong start to the season with Marseille in his first year, but he started to fall out of favour in the first team in the second part of the campaign. The United States international has scored one goal and provided three assists in 23 appearances across all competitions this campaign with the Ligue 1 side.
The 20-year-old striker signed a four-year contract with Marseille in the summer after making his professional debut with FC Barcelona during the 2020/21 season under manager Ronald Koeman. Due to the lack of minutes in the second part of the campaign, De la Fuente has not received a call-up to the United States men’s national team since September 2021.