Inter Miami forward Gonzalo Higuain injures quad, status for New England game unknown
Inter Miami forward Gonzalo Higuain, who is having a difficult season thus far, has another setback to overcome.
He suffered a left quad contusion when he was fouled by an Atlanta United defender during extra time of Miami’s 2-1 win on Sunday. Higuain entered the game as a sub in the 82nd minute.
Higuain, the Argentine star and team’s highest-paid player, had missed the previous three games due to a slight knee injury. He was supplanted in the starting lineup by Ecuadorean forward Leo Campana, who scored five goals in the past four games. Campana was named to the MLS Team of the Week the past two weeks.
Higuain, 34, is being evaluated day-to-day, according to a team spokesman, and his status for the road game Saturday at New England is questionable.
A loud chorus of boos could be heard when Higuain replaced Campana during Sunday’s game. Campana, displeased with the fans’ reaction, shook his head and waved his finger at the fans, pleading with them not to boo Higuain. He then hugged Higuain as the Argentine entered the field.
Higuain made a few nice plays during his shift but went down after being fouled by George Campbell on the left wing. He stayed down while trainers attended to him, briefly went to the sideline, but them limped back onto the field, determined to finish the game. When the final whistle sounded, he dropped to the ground and sat there for a while before limping over to thank the fans and hug his family members.
“I told Gonzalo two or three days ago he’d be a sub and he respects that, he wants to win and be a champion,” Neville said after the game. “We will need him, but what’s happened is, football is really brutal. You either jump on the train with the rest of the boys that are going at 90 miles per hour or you get left at the station. Everyone on this club has to jump on the train and Gonzalo’s one of those that has to jump on the train because it’s growing and it’s growing fast, they’re getting more confidence and belief.”
Higuain, who is one of the league’s highest paid players at $6 million a year, is in the final year of his contract with Inter Miami. When rumors surfaced last month that he had told his father he was retiring after this season, he said it was a misunderstanding. He said he is committed to having a good season and will make a decision about his future after the season is over.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 11:51 AM.