Injury Setback for Paredes

 Winger Injured Again in Wolfsburg Defeat to Freiburg

Kevin Paredes suffered a significant setback in his injury-plagued season as Wolfsburg fell 1-0 to SC Freiburg in Saturday's Bundesliga match. The 21-year-old was subbed off after 62 minutes with what manager Ralph Hasenhüttl described as a "probably serious muscle injury, based on what he reported."

The timing couldn't be more unfortunate for Paredes, who had just returned to action after a seven-month absence due to a foot injury. His season debut came only the previous weekend in a 2-2 draw with Mainz, where he impressed by providing an assist for Maximilian Arnold's goal just three minutes into the match.

Against Freiburg, Paredes started as a right midfielder but couldn't help prevent Wolfsburg's defeat after they played much of the match with ten men following Arnold's 27th-minute red card. Before his substitution, the winger recorded 22 touches and completed 13 of 16 passes (81% accuracy), while being fouled twice.

"It's not surprising," Hasenhüttl noted after the match. "The boy was injured for almost a year, had a good game against Mainz, but you can see he's still missing a lot."

With only four matches remaining in Wolfsburg's Bundesliga campaign, this injury could prematurely end Paredes' season and his availability for the Gold Cup in June, limiting him to just two appearances in a frustrating year for the promising American talent.