Camilo Zuniga wants knee surgery, Napoli isn't so sure

The right knee of Camilo Zuniga has long been a troublesome thing. Various tweaks, tears, niggles, and sprains in the joint have cost the Colombian a lot of playing time over the years, and now the 28 year old is on the sideline once more after spraining it yet again.

Last season, Zuniga underwent what was supposed to be a corrective "cleanup" surgical procedure to try and make life easier for him. While the details were never released, such surgeries usually involve removing built-up scar tissue, loose cartilage, and any potential bone spurs or chips in the joint to allow for freer motion and lessen the risk of further injury. Obviously something in the procedure didn't go so well, as Zuniga's knee just refused to heal properly, causing the defender to miss almost the entire remainder of the season.

Now after his latest injury, Zuniga wants to try again. Napoli are understandably reluctant to let him undergo the procedure again; if it goes sideways again, losing Zuniga will hurt even more this season, given Chrisitan Maggio's degradation in form over the past year.

Some outlets are describing the two sides as being "at odds" over the decision, though the truth is very likely not near that inflammatory. While the club would almost certainly rather avoid the risk entirely, it's likely that working with a different (read: better) orthopedic surgeon or even a different, less involved surgery might be acceptable to them.

Everyone wants Zuniga to be healthy. That's what the club are thinking about, because they want to avoid a repeat of last year as much as they possibly can. If they can figure out a way to do that and help Zuniga prevent future injuries, you can bet both club and player will be all over that. For now, though, it's going to be a matter of managing the situation at hand, and at the moment that seems to include Zuniga not going under the knife until all of the options have been looked at.