Matias Soulé isn’t having a good second half of the season at Roma, but the reason is mostly injury-related. He has been playing through a sports hernia, and he has to treat it daily. Despite that, he has refused to miss time and has been available for all 34 games so far.
According to Corriere dello Sport (via 90min), the Giallorossi are well aware of the problem and appreciate his attitude. Gian Piero Gasperini is trying to manage him the best he can. The Argentine hasn’t played a full game since October. However, the fact that other attackers, especially Paulo Dybala, have been hurt shortened the rotation.
Roma have no doubts that Soulé will return to his previous levels once healthy, but it might take a while. He had often carried them before the arrival of Donyell Malen, registering 7 goals and 7 assists. On the other hand, he hasn’t put his name in the stat sheet in a month and a half at this point.
The Giallorossi have been holding him in high regard since spending about €30M to acquire him from Juventus. They had multiple opportunities to recoup their investment, but they never seriously engaged in the talks. The attacker was targeted in particular by Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund. Some fellow Serie A teams tested the waters as well, but were quickly repelled.
He’s dealing with a very nagging injury now, and he might not get healthy until the summer unless he gets shut down for a while. However, he had a similar swoon also at Frosinone, so perhaps he should be load-managed more early in the season, even though he’s prone to starting strong.
