Josip Ilicic may have to miss some time

According to a report by Mark Walker of the Scottish Sun, Fiorentina forward Josip Ilicic may have an ankle injury. The report claims that Ilicic suffered a stress fracture against Crotone this past weekend. There is no timetable for the injury and at this point there is not a lot of information out about what really happened. Currently, Ilicic is in the Slovenian camp during the international break. The Slovenians have a game against Scotland on March 26, 2017 for a chance to keep their World Cup hopes alive. If Ilicic does not play in this game then he definitely will be missing time in the near future.

This injury can have a major impact for Fiorentina moving forward. Ilicic has been a staple in Paulo Sousa’s lineup since he took over. His absence for however long it may be will give an opportunity to a younger player to show his skill set on the pitch. Riccardo Saponara is the obvious beneficiary, but we could see youngsters like Ianis Hagi get a chance in relief as well.

Overall, we just have to monitor the reports coming out of the Slovenian camp and from Fiorentina. So far Fiorentina has not given an official statement on Ilicic and his health. Maybe this is just a tactic by a Scottish journalist to give Scottish fans false hope. Realistically, Ilicic is injured and was taken out of the game against Crotone with that injury. The good news is we all do not have to watch Fiorentina play poorly for 90 minutes and somehow find a goal in stoppage time this week. Enjoy the international break everyone.