Criciúma attacking-midfielder Lucca will spend the next six months on the sidelines after rupturing a knee ligament, ending speculation of a move to one the country’s giant clubs.
Lucca, 22, has been one of the undisputed stars of the 2012 Série B season, scoring 11 times and attracting the attention of the likes of Santos, Vasco, Cruzeiro and São Paulo ahead of next season.
Any move, though, will now have to wait as the playmaker begins a long period of recovery, although he could return to a Criciúma team in the Brasileirão, with the Tigre currently topping the second-division after a six match winning streak.
“I don’t know what to say,” Lucca tearfully told Lance! “I am very sad and upset. It has come at a unique moment in my career.
“I hope I can return in the same form, or better than I have been. Trust me, I will be back and come back well.”
Lucca left the field during the second-half of his side’s 2-0 win over ABC on Wednesday night after feeling pain in his left-knee, with results of medical tests confirmed on Friday morning.
