RALPH Hasenhuttl admits it would be “more risky” for Armel Bella-Kotchap to return from injury without undergoing surgery, but insisted: “That is doable.” The German central defender missed Wednesday’s win over Bournemouth and will not feature against Arsenal this weekend, after dislocating his shoulder during last weekend’s draw at West Ham. The 20-year-old has various options in his injury recovery, with the chances of dislocating his shoulder again in the future heightened if there is no surgery now to treat the injury. Speaking earlier this week about Bella-Kotchap,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “It is not so sure which direction we will go with him, if he will need surgery or if he does it without. I think he wants to try it without and mobilising the shoulder and then coming back maybe, I don’t know in two weeks, or three weeks. Otherwise it would take longer. This is definitely a loss for us and long-term injuries are not the best for a team who are looking for results.”
Asked today if a decision has been made on if Bella-Kotchap will go under the knife and if it would be a gamble of the injury reoccurring in the future should he not,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “You’re right, it can always happen again, when you don’t have the surgery. There is definitely damage in the shoulder, but he is a very strong guy. You can do a lot with strengthening the muscles up there. It is maybe a more risky version to do it like this, but also a version that is doable.”
