Diogo Pezzino RIO DE JANEIRO \ Lancepress \

Defender David's surgery on a bone in his face was considered a success by Dr. Marcelo Soares, the club's doctor, who oversaw the procedure performed by Dr. Augusto César (the same one who operated on Renato Augusto in 2007).

The surgery, which lasted two and a half hours, went as planned. The player is hospitalized at Pasteur Hospital in the Méier neighborhood and will be discharged later this Thursday.

Marcelo Soares believes that David, who collided with Fluminense's Alan in Sunday's derby, will be able to return to ball training within three weeks.

"Since the trauma was to the face, the player will have restrictions on some activities, such as heading. Therefore, caution will be advised," the doctor said.

According to Marcelo, the player's expected return to the field is around six to seven weeks. If the deadline holds, David will only play again against Corinthians in the penultimate round of the Brasileirão. He is a reserve for Andrade's team.