Marc Roca appeared to have turned a corner in his post-Leeds United career over the weekend. A corner which, as it turns out, leads only into another dead-end.
Whatever the Spaniard has done to get himself on the bad side of Lady Luck, perhaps it’s time to ply her with roses and a sizeable box of the smoothest chocolates. B
Marc Roca missed three months of La Liga action with Real Betis from October to January due to a serious ankle injury. Yet, following a couple of largely underwhelming displays upon his return to the team, the former Leeds United midfielder took a few massive steps in the right direction last week.
Real Betis thrashed KAA Gent in the Europa Conference League play-offs on Thursday; Roca the industrial strength superglue which held together an attack-minded midfield consisting of both Isco and Giovanni Lo Celso.
Three days later at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, the one-time Bayern Munich benchwarmer went from protector to provider.
He scored only once in 36 matches for Leeds. But, on an evening in which Manchester United misfit Antony found the net for a third straight La Liga match, Marc Roca struck a brace as Betis thrashed Real Sociedad 3-0 to ease any lingering relegation fears.
Luckless Marc Roca suffers another blow after Leeds United exit
Unexpected braces seem to be the order of the day right now. As Roca lit up Andalusia, Pascal Struijk stunned Sunderland with an unforeseen double of his own to drag Leeds back to the top of the Championship table.
Daniel Farke was delighted, not only with Struijk’s contributions in the final third but also with the defender coming through unscathed after a recent injury absence.
The same, unfortunately, could not be said for Roca.
On the same night in which he truly announced himself back in Spanish football, the luckless midfielder picked up a knock which ends any hopes he may have had of building on what felt like a turning point in his Betis career with Real Madrid just around the corner.
“Marc Roca sustained a direct trauma to his right foot during the match against Real Sociedad,” reads an official statement provided by Los Verdiblancos.
“Medical tests have revealed that the midfielder has suffered a partial injury to the flexor plate of the second metatarsophalangeal joint in his right foot.
“His return to group training will depend on his progress following an initial non-weight-bearing recovery phase.”
Roca’s 9/10 Real Betis performance soured by injury
Roca is expected to be out of action for a minimum of three weeks, ensuring he will be unavailable until mid-March. By that point, there will be only two months of the season remaining with the £4 million signing from Leeds stuck on just 12 La Liga and Conference League starts.
“His introduction pushed the team to go upwards, providing the link between defence and attack,” Andalusian publication El Correo wrote in their assessment of Roca’s classy, clinical ‘9/10’ display.
“He has returned with great strength after injury just when the team needed him most.”
Now, one step forward and two steps back, Marc Roca departs from the first-team picture at a crucial juncture in a season which was just starting to look up again.
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