Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be headed for surgery
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen left the German national team early following a back injury. An injury deemed not severe according to early reports. Since leaving the national team, Ter Stegen hasn't played since.
The recovery process for his back injury has been going slower than expected with both Ter Stegen and Barcelona weighing all of their options.
According to COPE's Helena Condis Endo, the pain in his back is not subsiding and while no decision will be made today, all options are being weighed, including surgery.
👉Ter Stegen se irá probando estos días. Su dolor en la espalda no remite.
— Helena Condis Edo (@HelenaCondis) December 4, 2023
Valorarán tratamientos con los médicos, incluso intervención, si es necesario. Pero hoy NO habrá ninguna decisión al respecto.
Xavi dijo “cualquier cosa a anunciar ya lo diremos”. @partidazocope
Diario Sport is reporting that Ter Stegen wants more time before making a final decision. What is becoming clearer is that Ter Stegen likely won't play for Barcelona again before the end of the year. Should he ultimately opt for surgery, the Catalan side would expect him back in time for the Champions League round of 16/
Losing Ter Stegen for any considerable amount of time is going to be a significant blow for Barcelona. However, Iñaki Peña has done well in his place.
While Peña arguably could have done better in the goal they conceded against Rayo Vallecano, he has come up big for Barcelona against Porto in the Champions League and in their important 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid over the weekend.
The hope for Xavi Hernandez and Barcelona is Peña will continue to play well and limit the loss of Ter Stegen.
Ter Stegen has kept Barcelona in plenty of matches this season despite the club conceding more goals this season than in all of last season. There are plenty of reasons for that but despite that, Ter Stegen has come up with big saves to either keep the game scoreless or to preserve a lead.
Joao Felix scores as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0. dark. Next. Joao Felix scores as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0
Whether Ter Stegen has surgery will come down to what he decides to do. The objective for all parties involved is for him to recover from his injury and be able to count on him down the stretch.