Barcelona's win over Rayo Vallecano came at a costly price

Barcelona's 2-1 comeback win over Rayo Vallecano was overshadowed by the stoppage time injury suffered by 17-year-old Marc Bernal.

The injury came following a collision with Isi Palazón where the young midfielder is hit in the back of the knee by the Rayo Vallecano player. An unfortunate injury given there was only minutes left in the match.

Bernal had to be helped off the pitch and manager Hansi Flick was pessimistic when asked about the status of Bernal.

"Bernal is injured and it doesn't look good," Flick said after the game. "We'll see tomorrow. The victory is sad. Nobody is happy in the dressing room."

The immediate fear following the images was that Bernal suffered an ACL injury.

Those fears were made a reality after Bernal underwent further testing. Barcelona confirmed he did indeed tear his ACL.

"Tests carried out on Wednesday have shown that the player Marc Bernal has a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and an associated injury to the lateral meniscus," the statement read.

"In the coming days he will undergo a surgical procedure and when completed an update will be provided."

That update will likely be the amount of time Bernal will need to recover.

To put it in perspective, Bernal suffered the same injury Gavi did last November when he was with the Spanish national team.

Using Gavi's injury as precedent, it is fair to assume Bernal is set to miss almost a year. Again, Gavi was injured last November and isn't expected back until November of this year. In other words, Bernal's season is over.

It's a massive blow both for Bernal and Barcelona.

Bernal had quickly made the central midfield position his and was doing an outstanding job. Flick put his trust in him and was rewarded. It looked like Barcelona had finally found the heir apparent to Sergio Busquets.

Now Barcelona are left scrambling to figure out who will cover the area that has been a problem since the departure of Busquets.

Will they try to find a defensive midfielder at low cost or once again turn to La Masia?

Marc Casadó is an option as that is his natural position. Bernal impressed so much during preseason that Casadó ended up losing his spot so to speak. It could be an opportunity for him and, assuming no one from the outside is brought in, could very well start on the weekend against Valladolid.

Another option is 18-year-old Pau Prim though he may be the greenest of Flick's options despite being a year older than Bernal.

For now, they may have to tread water until Frenkie de Jong returns, which is after the international. With Gavi still a couple of months away, there are few other options. Xavi tried Andreas Christensen there but he, too, is set to be sidelined for a while.

No matter which way one looks at it, is it the worst case scenario for Barcelona. The lack of a defensive midfielder cost them last season. The difference this time around is Barcelona have a more experienced manager at the helm.