Injured Jovic rattles Real Madrid for attending a barbecue with friends

The Serbian player wasn't doing anything illegal, but the club felt it was a little clumsy of him to be publishing photos while he is supposed to be recovering.

Luka Jovic continues to makes more news for what he's been off the pitch than on it. Earlier today, the Serbian striker posted a photograph on Instagram of himself enjoying a barbecue with friends with his injured foot strapped in a foot brace. 

Jovic isn't doing anything illegal, as under Phase 1 protocol of lockdown unwinding, groups of 10 people are able to meet socially but at the club, it hasn't gone down well as the powers that be consider it a bit clumsy for a Madrid player, with his foot in an orthopedic cast and obviously not abiding by social distancing protocol to be seen publicly on social media. 

Jovic deleted the photo not long after publishing - a sign that either someone from his inner circle or the club, had told him it would be better if he took it down.

Considering the nature of Jovic's injury, the best form of treatment would be for him to rest his injured foot completely and allow it to heal in its own time. And also, with the strict diet that all of Madrid's players have to follow, it's not a good idea to put a photo like this out in the open. 

More than showing a disregard for his own health, Madrid feel that that he has shown a lack of tact  considering that he is the only member of the squad who is actually injured at the moment. A mysterious injury which he sustained why he was in self confinement, at home in Serbia -  a fracture to the calcaneus bone in his right foot.

It's the not the first time that the player has stepped over the line - at the height of the Covid-19 crisis in Spain, he decided to fly home to Serbia, something which also didn't go down well at Madrid. And during his time in Serbia, he broke lockdown rules. 

He was criticised by the government and president, Aleksandar Vucic, who warned that if he were to break restrictions again, he would be immediately arrested. Jovic apologised.

On top of all of those off-the-field problems, the player's performance levels have been far from what was expected of him. 

Most of his displays with the first team have been disappointing - and nowhere near that expected of a player for whom Madrid paid 60 million euros last summer, on the back of his 26 goals in 44 games for Eintracht Frankfurt. 

At Madrid, Jovic has only managed two goals in 770 minutes of playing time. Poor returns for a player who has appeared several times in the media but not for his football abilities…