Barcelona's goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is set to undergo surgery for a ruptured knee tendon, the Catalan club announced on Monday.
The 32-year-old German international, who also serves as the team's captain, sustained the injury during Barcelona's 5-1 win against Villarreal on Sunday, when he was stretchered off the field after an awkward fall. This could potentially rule him out for the remainder of the season.
“On Monday afternoon he will undergo a surgical process and once complete a new update will be released.”
Ter Stegen, who was criticised after making a mistake in Barcelona’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Monaco on Thursday, suffered the injury before half-time at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica.
“I think it will be a huge injury, when he lay down on the field… you can see it directly,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said after the game. Inaki Pena replaced Ter Stegen and is set to fill in for the German, although Barcelona may look to sign a replacement.
Flick said it was too soon to comment on the issue. “I don’t know if I like this question directly after the match… I just want to see how Marc is, he’s our captain and is a very important player for us,” said Flick. “Please understand that I don’t want to talk about that.”
