Brian Lozano to miss Apertura 2020 season after leg injury

Santos Laguna suffered a huge hit for their plans as one of their best (if not the best) players will be out for six months. Brian Lozano suffered a broken leg on Saturday and had to undergo an operation on Sunday. Even though the operation had no complications, he will still be out for six months for the break in the tibia and fibula. The Uruguayan is one of the key players of the team, and it will be tough to be replaced. There is no word yet from Santos if they will look for a replacement outside Liga MX or in the youth system.

26 year old Lozano came through the youth system of Defensor Sporting in the Uruguayan Primera División. Lozano had success enough to be considered a top prospect, making Uruguay’s U23 National Team. It was there that he had the moment that put him on the map for many. In the 2015 Pan American games, Lozano had a great tournament and scored the goal in the Pan American Final against Mexico that gave Uruguay the Gold Medal. America decided to bring Lozano to Mexico, but his time in the Mexico City club was a low point. Lozano never gained a spot in the starting lineup and was later loaned out to Nacional in Uruguay. Lozano looked like he was going to be another player to fail in Mexico but instead of staying in Uruguay, Lozano returned and was loaned out to Santos Laguna. In Torreon, Lozano had a totally different experience from his time in America and from the start he became a key player. Lozano’s speed and workrate was key, and Santos ended up buying him outright. At Santos, Lozano won a Liga MX title in the Clausura 2018 and has been the offensive key in many of Santos’ recent good runs in Liga MX. Unfortunately the success that Lozano came to has hit a speed bump with this first setback since arriving in Santos. Without Lozano, Santos will have to depend on players like Julio Furch and Eduardo Aguirre, but they don’t have the explosiveness Lozano posses. Only time will tell how they cope for the Apertura 2020 but it wouldn’t be surprising that their prospect in the coming season will take a significant hit because of this.