Barcelona star suffers setback in recovery from injury

Barcelona is already struggling to recover from a position of unrest. The club has been through a lot in the past month. They did not end the last season on a good note. Barca could not grab a single trophy, finishing second in La Liga. Bayern Munich knocked them out with a dismal 2-8 scoreline.

The board faced heavy criticism with a lack of faith from its players. Club captain and star man Lionel Messi handed out his transfer request.

However, president Bartomeu blocked every possible move to hold on to the six-time Balon D’or winner. Nevertheless, players moved out knowing they are no longer important at the club.

Problems continue to grow at Barcelona

Barcelona actually needed to make sales to offload their huge €500 million wage bill. La Liga’s governing body has imposed a temporary ban on the Catalan club.

Barca can only sign the player on reducing the wage bills. Hence, veteran players like Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, and Luis Suarez paved their way out of Camp Nou.

The coronavirus pandemic did rupture the economic stability of many top European clubs. Barcelona is also facing a similar problem. Therefore, they cannot go-ahead to sign big-money transfer targets in this summer window. The Blaugrana manager Ronald Koeman has finalized his squad for next season.

Some players seem surplus to requirement who will boost the funding with the sale. Barcelona sold Nelson Semedo for €40 million to Premier League side Wolves. The club is trying hard to rebuild the team for a better season under the new manager. Koeman looks to bring in some players from his shortlist to bolster his lineup.

Ter Stegen’s return delayed for more weeks

Barca recently has suffered another setback with their goalkeeper sidelined. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was under observation for a knee injury.

The German is one of the main jigsaw pieces which complete the squad. Ter Stegen initially was ruled out for two and a half months.

However, a recent update brought up the concern the shot-stopper will not play until mid-November. There were expectations for him to complete the recovery before El Clasico. It seems the Blaugrana need to count on their second keeper Neto for the big match.

Ter Stegen’s delay in recovery means Neto will have to fill in his spot for 6 more games. The former Valencia goalkeeper has done a good job during his debut season at Camp Nou. Koeman needs to plan accordingly as Neto plays for three Champions League fixtures as well.

According to AS, medical specialists in Barcelona are working on the treatment of Ter Stegen. The report tells the 28-year-old’s knee swells up after every physiotherapy session. This forced the German to take some more days off to rest. The situation is currently being handled cautiously.