Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen to be out for 8 months – but with one positive to ‘much more serious injury’

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a horrific knee injury on Sunday evening against Villarreal, and is likely to be out for the rest of the season. The injury has been given an early diagnosis, although he will undergo definitive tests on Monday.

A complete tear of the rotular knee tendon would keep him out for seven to eight months say MD, which would see him out of action until late April or May at the earliest. Ter Stegen has had knee issues before, undergoing two surgeries in 2020, and one of the surgeons that operated on him explained that it was ‘much more serious than before’.

10 free-agent goalkeepers who could cover Ter Stegen's absence. @jbatalla7

– Keylor Navas
– Jordi Masip
– Edgar Badia
– Jiri Pavlenka
– Loris Karius
– Tomas Vaclik
– Etrit Barisha
– Tomas Koubek
– Alexandre Letellier
– Kostas Lamprou.

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 23, 2024

Doctor David Berastegui explained on Cadena SER, coinciding with the above diagnosis, that his prior injuries were to do with tendonitis, but this could require his entire tendon being sewn back together. The two injuries are not related though. The positive is that it might not be as debilitating as some have feared.

“Age is not such a important factor, he is 32 years old and is a mature football player but in the end he is a young person, so the recovery does not necessarily have to be worse. With the tendons, the surgeries are attempted to be performed as quickly as possible as long as the pain and inflammation allow it, and depending on your evolution you will be out, no less than six months, but the strong tendency is that it is about eight months.”

Barcelona will now have to decide what to do with for the rest of the season, whether to trust Inaki Pena, or sign an alternative. Pena played for three months last season while ter Stegen missed time, but was not entirely convincing, in spite of some good early performances. It seems there is hope that ter Stegen could get back to his best after the injury at least.

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