Sky Sport24 caught Valentino Rossi talking off camera to Giacomo Agostini during Dainese’s promotional event Italian Legendary Tour that took off from the Mugello circuit, where Rossi confessed to Agostini that he’ll have to undergo shoulder surgery, saying: “My shoulder is the problem, you know … I have to undergo surgery at the end of the year.
Yeah, it hurts, it really hurts, and it’s not getting better.
”The 9 times World Champion injured his right shoulder during a motocross training accident just before the cancelled Motegi GP.
For a while it seemed that his injury could be taken care of with intensive physiotherapy, but during the press conference before the Mugello GP, where the Italian broke his tibia and fibula, he had revealed that further tests confirmed that his shoulder injury was much more serious than it was first believed.
After he breaking his leg, it was suggested that he also undergo shoulder surgery but Rossi decided against it, citing the long recovery period and preferred to return as soon as his leg would let him ride, but the shoulder injury has hindered his riding causing him pain and muscle weakness.
The date of the operation has still be to decided.
If Yamaha releases Rossi from his contract to test for Ducati (which seems unlikely due to sponsor and contract problems) at Valencia and Jerez, then he’ll probably postepone surgery until after the November tests, however if they don’t release him you can be sure that the Italian will be in a hospital a couple days after the last race of the season.