Columbus Crew defender Gaston Sauro is set to miss the entire 2017 season due to injury.
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Crew coach Gregg Berhalter told the Columbus Dispatch that Sauro will need all of 2017 to recover from multiple knee surgeries. Sauro tore his left posterior cruciate ligament in a May 21 match at Toronto FC, which kept him out until Sept. 3. He also missed the final three games of the regular season.
In all, Sauro will require several procedures in his attempt to recover.
“It’s going to be a number of surgeries he’s going to get and he’s going to be out for the year,” Berhalter told the Dispatch on Monday. “That’s our reality. It’s a tough reality, but that’s the way it is.”
The defender has had injury issues since joining the MLS side in the summer of 2015, limiting him to just 17 regular season appearances. A highly regarded central defender who last played for Swiss side Basel, Sauro has been a starter for Berhalter's side when healthy.
But with Sauro's injury history and relatively bulky contract, Columbus will be looking for ways to fit his salary into the team's budget while not having the defender at its disposal.
“He has a guaranteed contract we are obligated to fulfill,” Berhalter said. “That’s life. ... We have to work on how we can structure or restructure his contract.”
Sauro made $601,312.50 in guaranteed compensation in 2016, according to the MLS Players Union.