Overview
- John Kennedy was readmitted on Friday after developing intense swelling and an atypical joint effusion at the site of his recent right anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
- The striker ruptured the right ACL during Fluminense’s 3-1 Copa do Brasil loss to Vasco on August 1 after a knee challenge from Vasco fullback Paulo Henrique.
- Before surgery he completed about two weeks of preoperative physiotherapy to reduce swelling, and he had the ACL reconstruction roughly ten days before the readmission at a private Barra da Tijuca hospital.
- Doctors say they have returned him to hospital for close evaluation to prevent infection and expect to discharge him by Tuesday, Sept. 1.
- ACL reconstruction normally requires six to eight months of rehabilitation, so Kennedy—who was Fluminense’s top scorer with 14 goals before the injury—is unlikely to play again in 2026 and his absence will shape the club’s short-term attacking options.