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Barcelona announced Wednesday that Philippe Coutinho will undergo surgery on a knee injury picked up against Eibar in La Liga at the Camp Nou.
The Brazil international hobbled off late on in Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw in the Catalan giants’ final fixture of 2020, and Barca have now offered an update on his condition via the club’s official website.
The tests carried out on the first team player Philippe Coutinho have shown that the midfielder has an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Treatment will necessitate arthroscopic surgery which will take place in the coming days.
The Brazilian came on in the 66th minute of the draw against Eibar in place of Miralem Pjanic but was unable to complete the game due to his injury which he picked up in injury time in the second half, leaving Barça with 10 men as they had already used their five permitted substitutes.
The news is a further blow to Barca as they are already without key stars such as Gerard Pique, Ansu Fati, and Sergi Roberto due to injury. Ronald Koeman’s men have also endured a tough start to the season and are sixth in the table after 15 games.
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How Long Will Coutinho Be Out For?
Barcelona have refused to confirm yet how much time the Brazilian will miss but are likely to offer an update after Coutinho has undergone his operation.
According to Javi Miguel at AS, the 28-year-old may be out for up to four months which would mean the forward would miss the majority of the rest of the season.
Coutinho has already missed a month after picking up a hamstring problem against Real Madrid in October. In total he’s made 14 appearances for Barca in all competitions in 2020-21, scoring three times and contributing two assists.
The news will be a fresh blow to Coutinho who returned to Barcelona in the summer after a successful loan spell at Bayern Munich where he helped the Bavarian giants land the treble.
Focus on Pedri
Coutinho’s injury is likely to mean even more game time for 18-year-old Pedri. The summer signing from Las Palmas has been one of the few bright spots in Barcelona’s campaign so far.
There were suggestions before the season that Pedri could go out on loan in order to play regularly, but the teenager has stayed at the club and forced his way into Koeman’s plans.
The teenager has featured in every one of Barca’s game in 2020-21 and came in for praise from manager Koeman before Tuesday’s clash with Eibar in his pre-match press conference.
From what I’ve seen up to now, his personality and his character, I think he is an example of someone who is doing well, especially for his age and at a club as big as this. My staff and I are helping him and supporting him, giving him advice, and playing time.
But I think Pedri is a kid from a humble family, he knows what he has to do to improve and what he has to do to avoid thinking he has it all figured out. He has a great future but that only exists if you keep on working hard.
Pedri already appears to be ahead of Coutinho in the pecking order at Barcelona and will surely cement his place in the starting XI if he can continue to reproduce the form he has shown so far this season.
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