Florian Lejeune has arrived in Italy as the Newcastle United defender prepares to undergo surgery on his knee, according to Chronicle reporter Ciaran Kelly.
The reliable journalist has claimed via his personal Twitter account on Monday that Lejeune’s wife and daughter have also travelled with him to Rome and that the operation on his knee should only take about 30 minutes.
Florian Lejeune has touched down in Rome ahead of going under the knife at the Villa Stuart clinic. Tough rehabilitation ahead but operation should only take around half an hour. Wife and daughter have travelled wtih him. #nufc
— Ciaran Kelly (@CiaranKelly__) April 15, 2019
Lejeune suffered a serious knee injury in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace earlier this month and he has been ruled out for the rest of the season as he aims to recover.
OPINION
Hopefully the procedure is a success and Lejeune can begin his road to recovery with a view to playing a key role in Newcastle’s defence next season. It is such a shame that the Frenchman’s campaign was ended early because he missed a lot of the early part of the season with a knee injury as well. The 27-year-old has only made 13 appearances in all competitions for the Magpies this term due to the two knee injuries, but at least in those 13 appearances he had a significant impact on results. With Lejeune on the pitch, Newcastle won five out of 12 games and basically secured their Premier League survival. Keeping clean sheets against other relegation contenders like Cardiff, Huddersfield and Burnley were all key in the Magpies’ season. Lejeune performed brilliantly when he was out there on the pitch, and it will be great to have him back once he has recovered. Hopefully a second serious knee injury in less than a year doesn’t have too much of an affect on his ability.
