Barcelona have confirmed that captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen has suffered a complete rupture in the patella tendon in his right knee.
Barcelona captain Ter Stegen has not been in the best form over the last year and a half but remained a major part of the leadership team under Hansi Flick.
After a poor performance in midweek against Monaco, the German started well against Villarreal as he made a couple of crucial saves.
But due to an untimely injury, the 32-year-old was forced to depart the game before halftime at Estadio de la Ceramica as he was being stretchered off the pitch.
The early indications were not positive and after carrying out tests today, Barcelona have announced that Ter Stegen has a complete rupture in the patella in his right knee and is set to undergo surgery on Monday, September 23.
He is now expected to miss the rest of the season as the Catalan club will now have to rely on Inaki Pena and Ander Astralaga to fill the void.
With both Pena and Astralaga not having had a lot of senior-level action in their careers, it has been debated whether Barcelona may sign a new keeper as a replacement for Ter Stegen.
Sad Flick
When asked about the same, Flick said to the media: “Signing a replacement for Ter Stegen?
“I don’t like this question.
“Please understand that I am very sad right now and I don’t want to talk about this topic right now.”
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The German will now undergo surgery and look to return strong for next season, meanwhile, Barcelona will likely look to sign a senior replacement with former legend Claudio Bravo having offered to come out of retirement if the club asked him to.
However, in the highest likelihood, they may stick with Pena at least until January and then look to make a signing.
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