Torino’s head coach Paolo Vanoli has addressed the club’s plans following the serious injury to striker Duvan Zapata. Speaking at the “Pallone granata” ceremony, where Zapata was honored as the best first-team player, Vanoli provided insights into how the team will cope with the Colombian’s absence.
Vanoli began by acknowledging the challenging week the team has faced: “We’re coming from a difficult week, and we must respond as a team. I spoke with Zapata before his operation, and he was a bit anxious, but everything went well. We’re losing a great player, so now we all need to give more and be even more determined. There’s regret, but we look ahead.”
The coach confirmed that Torino will not be dipping into the free agent market to replace Zapata before the January transfer window. “I’ve spoken with the president and the director, and we’ll stay as we are until January. The team has the resources to overcome this difficult moment,” Vanoli stated.
Addressing the issue of team leadership, Vanoli took a collective approach: “The next captain will be the team. Now we play match by match, and if we were working hard before, we’ll have to work even harder now. We had improved up front, and now we’ll find a different setup. Without Duvan, we’ll all have to give more. I’m always optimistic; we know what we’ve lost, but also what we can give.”
Zapata underwent surgery on Tuesday, October 15th, to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament and repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee. The recovery time is expected to be lengthy, effectively ending his season.
Despite this setback, Vanoli remains positive about the team’s ability to adapt and perform: “We had improved in attack, now we’ll find a different setup. Without Duvan, we’ll all have to give more: I’m always optimistic, we know what we’ve lost but also what we can offer.”
