Atletico Madrid striker set to miss the start of next season

Atletico Madrid have been served with an early blow ahead of the upcoming season after Kevin Gameiro went under the knife to fix a longstanding groin problem, reports Football Espana.

Gameiro was reportedly carrying a groin injury for the last few months of last season and Atletico have decided to send the Frenchman for surgery to correct the issue once and for all.

Despite the fact the 30-year-old will be able to start running in a fortnight’s time, doctors do not believe the Atletico striker will be able to return to full training with his teammates for a further six weeks.

It means that Gameiro, who joined Atletico from Sevilla last summer, isn’t expected back until the end of August and will miss the first few matches of the season as a result.

After shelling out £28m to sign the Frenchman, Gameiro endured a disappointing debut campaign for Diego Simeone’s side last season. He only started 21 league games and netted 12 times.

For more stats on Kevin Gameiro, click here to visit his WhoScored player page