Fabio Aurelio was once again ruled out with an injury this week, the Liverpool left-back suffered a thigh strain in the win over Blackburn and will now be out for three weeks.
His appearance against Blackburn was just his 14th of the season after an injury plagued campaign that began with him missing the opening fixtures following a knee cartilage operation on an injury sustained in a kickabout with friends back in Brazil over the summer.
After recovering from that he then missed most of November with a calf injury and had to pull out of the Brazil squad to face England after suffering a muscle injury. He suffered another calf injury in the draw at Stoke back in January – the Blackburn match being his first League start since then.
With the former Valenica man’s contract expiring this summer, his future looks far from certain.
Back in November it was reported Liverpool had offered the player a pay-as-you-play contract but that was rejected. Reds boss Rafa Benitez said “Fabio has been really unlucky. When we spoke to him about a contract extension he had an injury and he has had lots of injuries in the past. We made him an offer and his agent rejected it. Then he suffered another injury and we have had to analyse the situation again. We will talk again in the future because he is a good person, a great professional and a great player. Maybe his situation needs to be looked at in a different way and he needs to be realistic.”
Aurelio arrived on a bosman free transfer from Spanish side Valencia in 2006, making his debut as a sub in the Charity Shield win over Chelsea. A series of injuries restricted his appearances to 25 for this first season at the club, his season was ended prematurely when he ruptured his achilles’ tendon during the Champions League quarter-final victory over PSV.
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Fabio enjoyed his most successful campaign last season, making 32 appearances in all competitions including sub appearances, and most memorably scoring stunning free-kicks at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.
With Emiliano Insua firmly establishing himself as Rafa Benitez’s first choice left-back this season, and Aurelio’s continued injury problems, should he be offered a new contract?
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