Malcom's injury woes continue: he's only played 63 minutes and will only be back by January

Malcolm is a very important player for us and I have no doubt that he will be a reinforcement for the team. He should join the group at our first training camp in January in Qatar," Semak told the local press.

Semak, whose team is eight points clear of second-placed Lokomotiv in the absence of a game for the winter break, recalled that the club thought it wouldn't be necessary for the Brazilian to undergo surgery to solve his problems.

"We've seen the result. After working for a while with the group, he felt the same discomfort again. And it was clear that the only option was the operating room," he explained.

The coach said that the injury of the former Barcelona player is "a muscular tear" that has been overextended, and praised Malcolm as a "superprofessional" who from morning to night works on his rehabilitation. "Now, during the holidays, he will train all the time in Brazil," he said.

Malcom first signed for Zenit at the beginning of August after the Russian club paid 40 million euros plus five in variables for a player that had only spent one year with the Spanish giants. 

At 22, Malcom ears more than six million euros per season, according to the press, which doubles the salary of top Russian players such as Dzyuba or Smólov.

Last season, Malcolm played 24 games in the Catalan team's jersey, scoring four goals, although the arrival of Frenchman Griezmann at the Camp Nou meant his chances of playing would be even slimmer. 

After spending 100 million euros for Brazil's Hulk and Belgium's Witsel in 2012, Zenit have been more conservative with their spending in the past few seasons.

Some journalists and fans were outraged by the high figure - Barcelona paid 41 million to Bordeaux for the player a year and a half ago - for a footballer who barely played in the Blaugrana team or in the Brazilian national team.

Zenit, who won the league last year with Semak on the bench, still have a chance of qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League if they beat Benfica in Lisbon next week and Lyon do not advance from the draw with Leipzig.