Bailey Kicks off AS Roma Career With Injury Disappointment
Muscular injury at first training session means uncertainty about Jamaica star tackling September’s World Cup qualifiers
Leon Bailey’s latest injury setback will be bad news for Jamaica head coach Steve McClaren as well as his new club AS Roma.
The 28-year-old whizzy winger, who moved to the Italian top tier this week, suffered a muscular injury during his inaugural training session with Roma yesterday.
Bailey, who was signed on a season-long loan with an option to buy for €23m (US$26.9m), did not get the opportunity to impress his new manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
Roma reported that the Reggae Boy suffered a right thigh tear, and will require more diagnostic tests to determine the extent of the injury. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation treatment at the Fulvio Bernardini training centre.
Bailey, whose thigh and muscular injuries have hampered his career, is unlikely to make his debut for the Giallorossi until mid-September as there will be the international break.
He will become the first-ever Jamaican to play for Roma and expected to make more impact in Serie A than the Jamaican trio of Rolando Aarons (Verona), Ravel Morrison (Lazio) and Trivante Stewart (Salernitana) managed.
Bailey’s Europe senior career started in the Belgian Pro League with KFC Genk in August 2015. He impressed at German Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, but failed to truly ignite the Premier League during four seasons with Aston Villa.
It appears highly unlikely that Bailey, who has made 39 appearances for Jamaica, will be fit enough to tackle the World Cup qualifiers.
The Boyz visit Bermuda on 5 September, and five days later will face Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad & Tobago inside Kingston’s National Stadium. Maximum points would kickstart Jamaica’s bid to reach the highly lucrative 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.
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