Hurt during a friendly in Poland, the young Senegalese forward has undergone tests. Udinese say he has an ankle sprain, with no ligament damage according to local media, but have given no return date.
A big scare, but not a disaster. Udinese used the international break to play a friendly against Pogon Szczecin on 26 September in Poland. Shortly before half-time, Idrissa Gueye was injured. After a collision with a defender, the 20-year-old forward grimaced in pain, clutching his ankle.
Udinese’s statement
After the tests, the Friulian club gave its diagnosis in a statement published on 29 September. Gueye has an ankle sprain. He has started his rehabilitation programme and will be assessed on a weekly basis. No timescale for his absence was given.
Local media had initially feared the worst. Before the tests, some outlets were worried about ligament damage, which would have meant a lengthy layoff. According to Udinese Blog, that is not the case, raising hopes of a quicker return. But without an official timeline, he looks very likely to miss the restart against Torino.
Runjaic without two forwards
For Kosta Runjaic, the timing is poor. The same statement announced a setback for Nicolò Zaniolo, who suffered a right hamstring injury with Italy and is set to be out for three to four weeks. With another forward, Davis, also struggling, Udinese’s attack has been significantly weakened.
Born in M’Bour, Gueye came through Génération Foot and FC Metz before joining Udinese, initially on loan and then permanently. He has one senior cap for Senegal, won in 2023.