Report: Zaniolo to Miss 3-4 Weeks With Dislocated Shoulder

More bad news today on the injury front for the Giallorossi. A day after losing midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum for the remainder of 2022 with a fractured right tibia, Roma fans bore witness to a familiar scene: Nicolo Zaniolo writhing in agony, crumpled over and barely able to move, before being carted off the pitch by the medical staff.

Through the first two rounds of play, Roma fans marveled at the sight of Zaniolo slicing and dicing his way through the opposition, tossing defenders aside like so many rag dolls, and playing with a level of confidence and aggression we haven't seen in years. And while that aggressive demeanor didn't directly lead to today's misfortune, Zaniolo nevertheless succumbed to another injury.

Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images

Late in the first half, with Zaniolo once again barrelling into the final third, he was upended by Luka Lochoshvili as the Cremonese defender slid into a hard challenge, snuffing out what may have been a clear-cut chance for Roma's 23-year-old forward. While nothing was dirty about the play itself, Zaniolo fell awkwardly on the pitch, struggling to get up for several minutes as Roma's training staff attended to his left shoulder.

After being swapped out for Stephan El Shaarawy in the 42nd minute, our minds immediately went to a dark place: another extended stay on the sidelines for Zaniolo.

However, according to reports from Sky Sport, our fears may be unfounded.

According to Sky's Gianluca Di Marzio, while Zaniolo's left shoulder is indeed dislocated, it won't require any surgical intervention, meaning he'll miss approximately 3-4 weeks while he recovers. If that is the case, Zaniolo will miss next week's massive fixture against Juventus and tilts against Monza, Udinese, Empoli, Atalanta, and potentially Inter Milan in early October.

We'll pass along updates as they become available, but this could have been much worse from the sound of it.