Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Scans on Wednesday showed that the 17-year-old has a ruptured ACL in his left knee and also sustained a meniscus injury. He is now set to undergo surgery.
Bernal picked up the injury in second-half stoppage time during Barcelona’s win over Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday. He left the pitch in tears and was helped off by members of the club’s backroom staff. He later left the stadium on crutches with his left knee fully bandaged.
“Marc’s injury does not look good,” head coach Hansi Flick said at full time. “All the dressing room was around him after the final whistle. It hurts a lot and it is a sad victory for us”.
After an impressive pre-season, Bernal has become a first-team regular for Flick as Barcelona have enjoyed a perfect start to their La Liga campaign.
GO DEEPER
Barcelona briefing: Olmo’s perfect start, Pedri shines again, misery for Marc Bernal
The defensive midfielder made his La Liga debut on the opening day of the season, shining in the 2-1 victory against Valencia. He has started all three of his team’s league matches.
Bernal is a La Masia graduate and progressed through Barcelona’s academy alongside Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi.
Flick added: “At the end, we have many players that can perform as a holding midfielder. After the break, we hope to recover one or two players from the injury list that can help in that department.”
Barcelona have also been without midfielder Gavi since November due to an ACL injury, forcing him to miss the European Championship earlier this summer.
Goals from Pedri and Dani Olmo helped Barcelona to a 2-1 win against Vallecano, having come from a goal down.
Flick’s side return to action on Saturday against Real Valladolid.
A massive blow for Barcelona
This is awful news for Barcelona. The Catalans don’t just lose one of their highly-rated talents, but a player that was having a fundamental impact in Flick’s plans and the team’s perfect start of the season.
Bernal’s impressive pre-season form was a key factor in Barcelona’s decision not to strengthen in defensive midfield this summer. Flick was so confident in Bernal’s abilities that he chose not to bring in a new player, giving him the opportunity to secure valuable minutes on the pitch.
Frenkie de Jong’s injury gave Bernal a path to a starting spot, and he took it with ease. Now, with both players injured, Barcelona will be forced to find a replacement within their own squad, as club sources admit it will be very difficult to add new signings before the end of the transfer window.
(Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
