Atletico de Madrid will begin the new La Liga season without Alexander Sørloth after the Norway forward suffered a muscular injury in training.
The 30-year-old was unable to complete a session with his team last week after experiencing discomfort. Medical examinations later confirmed that Sørloth had sustained a muscle problem, according to information published by Marca.
Sørloth is expected to miss several rounds of La Liga, which begins on 15 August. His absence leaves Atletico without one of their principal central-striker options at the start of the campaign.
The injury comes shortly before the Madrid club’s return to competitive action and represents an early setback as they prepare for the new season. Sørloth had been an important attacking player for Atletico during the previous campaign, featuring regularly across domestic and international competitions.
In total, the Norway international made 54 appearances in all competitions last season. He scored 20 goals and provided one assist during that run.
Those figures made Sørloth a significant contributor to Atletico’s attack, and his spell on the sidelines is likely to affect the team during the opening stages of the league campaign. However, the exact length of his absence has not been specified beyond the expectation that he will miss several La Liga rounds.
The forward’s problem was first noticed during training last week, when he could not continue the session with the squad. Subsequent medical assessment identified the injury as muscular.
Atletico will therefore have to begin La Liga while managing the loss of a striker who played 54 matches for the club in the previous season. The competition is scheduled to start on 15 August, with Sørloth not expected to be available for at least the opening part of the campaign.
Marca was the first outlet to report the injury information. No further details about the muscle damage or a precise return date were provided in the report.
For now, the main confirmation is that Sørloth will miss the beginning of Atletico’s La Liga programme after suffering the problem in training. The club’s expectation is that the Norwegian will be absent for several match rounds rather than only the opening fixture.
