Barcelona have confirmed that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is set to undergo knee surgery following a “complete rupture in the patella tendon in his right knee.”
The injury, sustained during the first half of Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Villarreal, saw the German shot-stopper stretchered off the field and immediately taken to the hospital for further examination.
The club has since announced that the injury is as severe as initially feared, necessitating surgical intervention.
A statement from Barcelona read, “Tests carried out on the first team player, Marc ter Stegen confirm that he has a complete rupture in the patella tendon in his right knee. On Monday afternoon he will undergo a surgical process and once complete a new update will be released.”
This development comes as a major blow to Barcelona, who will now be without their first-choice goalkeeper for an extended period.
Although there is no official recovery timeline yet, it is widely expected that Ter Stegen could miss the remainder of the season.
With the German international sidelined, Inaki Pena is poised to take over as the starting goalkeeper, beginning with Barcelona’s next fixture against Getafe on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old will be stepping into the spotlight in a crucial phase of the season as the team looks to maintain its momentum in both domestic and European competitions.
