Lorenzo Pellegrini to Miss 4-6 Weeks With Thigh Injury

Roma and injuries tend to walk hand in hand. No matter the manager or medical staff, the Giallorossi can never seem to make it through a month, much less a season, without losing key players to a variety of strains and sprains. The club has been fortunate to avoid any serious injuries this season (apart from Leonardo Spinazzola who was injured on international duty), but we've seen players as varied as Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Chris Smalling, Riccardo Calafiori, and Gonzalo all miss time to injuries and illness.

And just when it seemed like Roma were finally putting their injury woes behind them, their luck took a turn for the worst in yesterday's 1-0 win over Torino. While the club was quick to welcome Chris Smalling back to the starting lineup after his own struggles with leg injuries, it only took 15 minutes for the injury bug to claim its latest victim, star midfielder and club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.

While Pellegrini was penciled into the starting lineup for the 15th time this season, his evening at the Olimpico lasted all of 15 minutes. After pulling up with an injury after a quarter-hour yesterday, Pellegrini was replaced by Carles Pérez and was forced to watch from a distance as his teammates rallied to beat Torino; their third-consecutive victory after a rough October/November stretch.

According to Sky Sport, Pellegrini underwent diagnostic exams this morning that revealed an injured quad in his right thigh; an impairment that could keep Pellegrini sidelined for approximately four to six weeks.

With Pellegrini likely sidelined for the remainder of the calendar year, Roma will have to make do without their 25-year-old playmaker for a slate of critical domestic matches, including clashes against Bologna, Inter Milan, and Atalanta, among others. José Mourinho will likely tease the press with his post-Pellegrini options, but chances are we'll see some combination of Mkhitaryan, Pérez and/or Nicolo Zaniolo in the interim.

This is definitely a blow for a Roma side looking to cement its place among Italy's best teams, but with Pellegrini already missing time due to knee inflammation this season, perhaps six weeks on the shelf won't be so bad after all.

Rest up, Lorenzo. Roma needs you at 100%.