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Tuesday, 03 December 2024
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Barcelona's Ter Stegen Out for the Season Due to Serious Injury
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Barcelona suffered a major blow following the revelation of goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen's injury, which has been confirmed as serious and will keep him out for the entire season.

According to FC Barcelona, ter Stegen is expected to be sidelined for an extended period due to the need for surgery following a "complete tear" in his knee tendon. Barcelona stated: "The medical examinations confirmed that first-team goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has suffered a complete tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee, and he will undergo surgery on Monday afternoon. A further update will be provided once the surgery is completed."

Ter Stegen was injured at the end of the first half when he landed awkwardly on his right foot while attempting to catch a cross, and he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after medical staff attended to him while he was lying down, screaming in pain.

After the match, his fellow countryman and coach Hansi Flick indicated that the injury looked "serious and significant," but he could not predict the duration of the absence before the necessary examinations. Flick said: "Things don’t look good for Marc. We have to wait to learn the full diagnosis of the injury, but we have to acknowledge that it seems to be very serious."

The 32-year-old was taken to a hospital near the "La Cerámica" stadium, and the "RAC 1" station predicted that he could be out for up to 8 months, which would mean the end of his season.

Ter Stegen fell to the ground during a corner kick for Villarreal and left his position for goalkeeper Iñaki Peña.

With this injury, ter Stegen joins a long list of absentees at Barcelona, who started the season perfectly by winning all six of their matches so far. He joins a group of injured players including Uruguayan Ronald Araújo, Danish Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Dutch Frenkie de Jong, Fermín López, and new arrival Dani Olmo.