Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines after club GM Ali Curtis said he needs surgery for a “severe and complicated” injury.
According to reports, the U.S. international suffered an ankle injury in the 2019 MLS Cup in November, in which Toronto lost to the Seattle Sounders.
Curtis didn’t give specific details about Bradley’s injury, but The Athletic reported that the player will have surgery on Tuesday and will be out up to four months.
The news came as a surprise to Bradley’s club and country teammate Jozy Altidore, who said on Monday that the injury “was handled poorly.”
“In my opinion, it was handled poorly,” Altidore told reporters. “This is an injury from two months ago and it’s not the first time this happened in terms of … we’ve seen our injury rate at this club [climb] since ’18, and we’re obviously trying to get it better, but it hasn’t. Two months have gone by and now he’s having surgery and he’ll be out until June.
“I don’t think it’s good enough. He’s a guy that takes care of himself in an incredible way. Incredible professional, he pushes himself, the group, he holds everybody to a high standard and I think he was let down,” Altidore added.
Toronto opened up preseason camp this weekend and will travel to Florida and California to train. The MLS season kicks off Feb. 29, with the United States men’s national team playing two friendlies against the Netherlands and Wales in March and participating in the inaugural Nations League in the summer.