It is always a worrying thing to see a FC Barcelona player have to go down with an untimely injury. La Blaugrana have already suffered a lot due to such injuries over the past and those ghosts continue to haunt them today. However, especially at Barcelona, injuries to youngsters are perhaps the scariest of them all.
Unlike other top teams, the Catalan giants tend to rely heavily on the special crop of young talents that they possess. Since they cannot guarantee the arrival of world-renowned stars, Barcelona have to count on their own young players and academy talents to thrive.
Unfortunately, injuries to these young talents have become a norm in recent seasons. First came Ansu Fati, then Pedri, and now even Gavi is currently in recovery. However, in this latest victory over Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona lost another one of their most promising young gems.
Marc Bernal, aged just 17, has been officially confirmed to have an ACL and a Meniscus injury. Injuries like these can be season-ending, and it is impossible that Barcelona will get to see Bernal in action over the course of the next several months.
However, right after the game, even the officials of the club could not bear to not know what had happened. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, both Barcelona president Joan Laporta and director Deco rushed to the locker room to check up on Bernal’s status following his late injury.
Instead of being thrilled by the victory, the main concern for the officials and the squad itself was Bernal’s health. The young talent had managed to become one of Hansi Flick’s standout players in the midfield and his loss has come at a very bad stage for both the player and the team.
Especially given the fact that he is still such a young player, his development is absolutely crucial at such an early stage. However, all that can be done now is hope that his recovery goes well and that the young 17-year-old wonderkid is able to return with his best level and qualities still intact.
As for what this means for the transfer window and the remaining days of it, perhaps this worrying gesture from Joan Laporta and Deco has more to it than meets the eye. Knowing that the depth and presence of defensive midfielders is not strong in the team right now, perhaps the club may be forced to look for an alternative.
