Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen can be out for months after serious injury
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen can be ruled out for months after the severe injury during Sunday’s 5-1 La Liga win at Villarreal.
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What happened to Ter Stegen?
The German shot-stopper collapsed to the ground after claiming a corner at the end of the first half, and it was immediately apparent that he would not be able to continue.
Stretchers were used to carry the 32-year-old Stegen as he left for a hospital check-up. Ter Stegen was seen mourning as he realized his injury’s importance as Iñaki Peña replaced him in the post.
The injury to the German international tainted a good day for Barça, who scored five times to make it six wins from six in LaLiga this season and remain four points at the top of the table.
How serious is Ter Stegen’s injury?
The Catalan side’s coach, Hansi Flick, confirmed the injury appears to be “huge and serious” but added he could not offer any timeframe until he undergoes further tests.
Radio station RAC1 reported Ter Stegen, who was taken to a hospital close to Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica, could be out for as long as eight months, which would rule him out for the rest of the season.
“It doesn’t look good for Marc,” Flick told Spanish television after the game. “We have to wait to know the full diagnosis of the injury, but it’s true it does appear to be really serious.”
“This injury makes us sad,” Flick said in a news conference. “When you win 5-1 at Villarreal, the fans here in the stadium, also those watching on television, saw a fantastic match.
“Also from Villarreal, [they played with] unbelievable speed and were dynamic in the match. With great goals from us, we are very happy with the 5-1, but at the end we are sad because I think the injury will be huge, but we have to wait for information.”
Barcelona’s injury list goes on and on
Ter Stegen joins a lengthy injury list at Barça, with Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Fermín López and Dani Olmo all currently out of action as well.
Despite that, Barça have the best record in LaLiga, with Flick once again putting his faith in youngsters at Villarreal by handing first starts of the season to Sergi Domínguez and Pablo Torre, while Gerard Martín also came into the side at left-back.
With Stegen’s case, the runner-up of La Liga last season may search for a replacement in the next weeks.