Medical expert issues ‘huge’ Ismaila Sarr verdict after ‘heated discussions’ at Watford
Ismaila Sarr will be “brimming with confidence” if he wins the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal – and that could be “huge” for Watford.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Sarr scored after being brought on for the final half an hour in the 3-1 win over Equatorial Guniea in the Afcon quarter-final last Sunday (30 January).
That was his first competitive appearance since he suffered knee ligament damage towards the end of November last year.
The forward, 23, also came off the bench as Senegal overcame Burkina Faso in the semi-final last night (2 January).
Senegal boss Aliou Cisse revealed “heated discussions” had taken place with Watford about Sarr’s involvement, per the Watford Observer yesterday.
But Dinnery suggests that any misgivings about Sarr’s situation will be forgotten if he returns to the Hornets with a spring in his step.
“He has been out for a long time,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Is it an ideal environment to come back into? Probably not.
“I know the head of rehab and fitness at Watford, Angel Acena Rodriguez, and they do some great work with the players.
“He worked really hard getting all that foundational work in place. He got him ready to a place where he went and saw Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona.
“He had an assessment there and spent a couple of weeks there before he travelled to Afcon. All of the hard work has been done.
“There are no guarantees that a player won’t suffer a setback. But they will do everything in their power to mitigate that risk.
“He looked sharp when he was introduced. He’s recovered relatively quickly and it’s impressive that he’s made that tournament.
“If they can go on and win that tournament, that could be huge for Watford. They would have a player who is brimming with confidence for the run-in.”
Senegal will face either Cameroon or Egypt in the final of Afcon on Sunday (6 February).
Sarr has struck five goals in 12 appearances in 2021-22 for Watford, who are under new management with Roy Hodgson.
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