Igor Lichnovsky sidelined three weeks with right foot injury at Universidad de Chile

He came home, put the blue jersey back on, played the Superclasico, and up to that point it all felt like something out of a storybook. But soccer has these twists nobody asks for. Igor Lichnovsky is no longer available for Universidad de Chile's next match, and worse, he won't be available for quite a while.

The 32-year-old center back, who came up through the club's youth academy, had returned to Chilean soccer after several seasons abroad to join the squad coached by Fernando Gago. His comeback couldn't have been quicker: he made his debut in nothing less than the Superclasico against Colo Colo, with all the exposure and demands that match always brings.

The trouble came afterward. During the week, the defender dealt with physical discomfort that set off alarms in the medical staff, and it ultimately ruled him out of this Sunday's match against Universidad de Concepcion. At first, the plan was for a quick recovery, the kind that takes just a few days. That wasn't the case.

The tests confirmed what nobody at Universidad de Chile wanted to hear: Lichnovsky has a grade 2 sprain in his right foot, an injury that will keep him off the field for approximately three weeks. Nothing dramatic in the long run, but still a blow to Gago's defensive setup right as the center back was starting to find his rhythm.

A tight schedule without their center back

The absence isn't limited to the match against the side from Concepcion. Given the estimated recovery time, Lichnovsky would also miss the club's upcoming matches against Coquimbo Unido, Deportes La Serena, and Nublense, a stretch that will force Gago to look for alternatives at the back for a full month of competition.

It's news that contrasts with the excitement his return had generated. After years defending other colors abroad, the comeback of a homegrown player always brings that extra buzz from the fans, and seeing him debut in the biggest match of the half only fed that anticipation. Now it's a matter of waiting, taking care of the foot, and looking at October as the likely date for his return to the field.