The hits just keep on coming for Baba Rahman, who apparently needs surgery not just on his previously injured right knee, but on the as-a-result-weakened left knee as well — and that’s before we get to the “psychological” damage that these setbacks have caused.

That’s the story from yesterday’s Diario AS, who expect Baba’s current loan team, RCD Mallorca, to cancel the season-long loan before the end of today and allow Baba to recuperate back “home” with Chelsea. Mallorca signed left back Leonardo Koutris to compete with Lumor Agbenyenu for minutes at the position.

This setback is just the latest knee problem for the 25-year-old Baba in the last three years, since blowing out his knee at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He’s made just 21 appearances in the 36 months since, while on loan at Schalke 04, Stade de Reims, and now Mallorca, spending most of the rest of the time trying to recover and work through a few setbacks.

He looked to be on the right track for recovery at long last towards the end of last season, while at Reims, and after playing for Ghana in the 2020 ACN (now moved to the summer), he signed a new three-year Chelsea contract and was loaned out to Mallorca for the season.

Just three weeks later, he damaged a knee ligament again, and missed the next three months. He recently made a comeback in Mallorca’s cup games, but has been just a shadow of himself, both physically and mentally. The “conservative treatment” has not worked, and he will need to see a specialist. It’s expected that he will need surgery on both knees, one to properly repair, and the other to repair the damage caused by compensating for the other injured knee. Or some such.

Point is, it’s all bad and getting worse for young Baba, who’s not so young anymore.

Hopefully he can get those knees fixed properly this time and can find the mental strength to rehab and recover fully. Any tips, Marco van Ginkel?