Atlas end Greg Garza's loan, send him back to Tijuana

Atlas have decided to end Greg Garza's loan. The Liga MX club sent the injured Garza back to Club Tijuana, bringing Garza's short time in Guadalajara to a close.

Garza joined Atlas on loan in the summer, prior to the Apertura. He immediately slotted in as the team's starting left back, but suffered a serious hip injury just three matches into the season. The injury required surgery and he has not played since.

Now Garza will return to Tijuana, where he spent three years before being sent on loan to Atlas. He's expected to be fit soon and may be able to play a part for Xolos at the start of the Clausura on January 8. More likely, he will need some extra training to regain his fitness and form before he plays in a match so the beginning of the Clausura could be a stretch, but it won't be too long after that.

Xolos hired former Mexico manager Miguel Herrera as their manager for the Clausura and the expectation is that he will implement his 3-5-2 system from the start. That's not ideal for Garza, as he is a pretty standard left back, but he's definitely more attacking than defensive so he is capable of playing left wingback and will almost assuredly make a run at that starting job as soon as he's fit enough to.