As expected, Edmilson had a torn meniscus and was out for the rest of the season.
It was a foregone conclusion. Chen Yu had known it the moment he saw him.
The only small comfort for Rijkaard was that Motta's recovery was going well. His return to the team would likely alleviate the crisis in Barça's midfield.
Chen Yu's schedule was tight, so he headed to France as planned.
There wasn't much to say about Smichell. One look at his medical report showed that his recovery was far from what was expected.
Chen Yu made the trip in person to determine just how bad it was, since the report was outdated.
As it turned out, seeing him in person confirmed Chen Yu's expectations: a minor tear in his left anterior cruciate ligament.
This was consistent with the medical report.
But the muscles in his left leg were a different story: tears in the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis, with extensive adhesions.
The most troublesome part was the torn and inflamed iliotibial band.
