Santiago Giménez’s second season with AC Milan has gone from bad to worse, with the Mexico national team striker announcing he’ll be forced to spend time on the sidelines due to a persistent ankle injury.
The struggling striker was forced to leave the pitch in Milan’s bout against Atalanta on Oct. 28. Manager Massimiliano Allegri initially said he expected Giménez to be ready for Milan’s next game against Roma, but he wasn’t included at the weekend.
On Tuesday night, Giménez himself took to social media to give an update on his fitness status, revealing he’s been playing injured for months now.
“For various months, I’ve been playing with an ankle injury that hasn’t allowed me to be at 100%, nor feel comfortable on the pitch,” Giménez wrote in a statement.
— Santiago Gimenez (@Santgimenez_) November 4, 2025
“With plenty of desire to continue helping the team, I’ve kept on playing, but the pain kept increasing and the time has come to stop. Now it’s time to recover and prepare to be with you as soon as possible. Thanks for the support, I’ll see you soon!”
AC Milan are yet to disclose any information regarding Giménez’s injury, but ESPN reports that the 24-year-old center forward could be out of action for approximately five weeks.
Santiago Giménez Having Nightmare Start of 2025–26 Season
There was plenty of talk regarding Giménez potentially leaving AC Milan during the summer transfer window, with a swap-deal with Roma for striker Artem Dobvyk appearing like a possibility.
Nothing materialized and Giménez stayed put. But upon Allegri’s arrival, the striker has been miles off the level that saw Milan unload €32 million ($36 million) to sign him from Feyenoord at the start of 2025. And it hasn’t been for a lack of opportunities either.
Giménez has started eight of Milan’s 10 Serie A games this term but is yet to tally a single league goal involvement this term. His only goal so far this season came in a Coppa Italia match against Lecce. That’s one goal in 992 minutes played before his injury.
Recent reports suggest that the Rossoneri gave Giménez an ultimatum. Either he finds his form, or the club could explore finding him a new home in the January transfer window.
It’s imperative Giménez returns to his best after the injury, or his immediate future could become very uncertain, jeopardizing his standing not only at the club level but with the national team on the eve of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Given his injury, it’s already guaranteed Giménez won’t play for Mexico in upcoming November friendlies, opening the door for other strikers to impress manager Javier Aguirre.
Who Could Replace Santiago Giménez in Mexico’s November Roster
Giménez will miss Mexico’s last two games of the year, a massive blow for him considering he has only two goals for El Tri since the summer of 2023—both coming in friendly matches.
Raúl Jiménez has recovered from his respective injury and has featured for Fulham in recent games. The veteran is poised to return to El Tri after missing the October international action.
But Giménez’s absence means Aguirre could give a chance to more unknown strikers that have been performing at a high level recently. Nobody fits this description better than 22-year-old Armando González
The Chivas striker is having a sensational Liga MX Apertura 2025 season. He has 11 goals through 16 appearances, tied with two other players atop the golden boot race. His heroics have helped Chivas secure qualification to the quarterfinals after missing the playoffs altogether a season ago.
After overtaking established strikers such as Alan Pulido and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández on Chivas’ depth chart, González could now aim to do the same thing to Gimenez with El Tri.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mexico National Team Striker Suffers Major Injury Setback.
