FC Barcelona have just recently emerged victorious following a grand display against Atletico Madrid. However, given the rather poor fortunes of Barça with luck and good news, it was only a matter of time before tragedy struck.
The Catalan giants, despite their latest victory, now have injury concerns to worry about. Having already lost 19-year-old Gavi to a season-ending ACL injury, the alarm bells are now ringing for another key Barcelona player.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen, captain and goalkeeper of FC Barcelona, is currently sidelined due to back problems. Initially becoming problematic during his time with the German National team camp recently, he was promptly sent back to Barcelona for further examination.
Initial reports claimed that the player would likely not even miss a game. However, it turns out that the truth was far more morbid. Three games later, the German goalkeeper is still not even available for team training. In fact, things might even be getting worse.
According to the latest information provided by SPORT, Ter Stegen may even have to go through the possibility of having surgery. Thus far, the report claims that conservative treatment has not yielded the desired results.
Consequently, the option of surgical intervention becomes quite possible. For now, however, there is no guarantee if it will even be necessary.
Barcelona have a week until their next commitment against Girona at the Montjuic Stadium. This should offer Ter Stegen and Barça plenty of time to assess any improvements and make a decision.
For now, it is not even ruled out if Ter Stegen is available for the upcoming game or not. Improvement remains gradual and Barcelona do not intend to rush the German goalkeeper.
In his stead, Spanish shot-stopper Inaki Pena has done pretty well to fill some big shoes. His latest performance against Atletico Madrid even led to applause from his German senior himself, who was in the crowd as well.
