Barcelona defender Rafinha faces long spell on sidelines after surgery Last Updated: 17/09/15 11:33am
Barcelona could be without Rafinha for the rest of the season as he is set to undergo surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The Brazil international suffered the injury just a few minutes after coming on as a sub in Wednesday's 1-1 Champions League Group E draw at Roma when he was caught by a tackle by Radja Nainggolan.Barca said on their website that the 22-year-old - the younger brother of Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara - will have an operation in the next few days. They did not say how long he might be sidelined but Spanish media reported he would miss the rest of the season. Manager Luis Enrique didn't hide his concern after the game, conceding the injury had affected his side's performance as their European defence began with a draw thanks to Alessandro Florenzi's wonder goal.
"It's a very ugly injury. It's the bad news of the day," he told beIN Sports. "The injury has affected the play in the spirit of the players. In the first half we had the goal and in the second, the injury."
Rafinha's brother Thiago needed two operations on a similar injury he sustained in March last year and missed the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
Although Rafinha is not an automatic starter under coach Enrique, he has been in good form in recent weeks and will be a significant loss for the Spanish and European champions.
Their next outing is at home to Levante on Sunday and they host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League at the end of the month.
Rafinha and Thiago are the sons of former Brazil midfielder Mazinho, who played in the 1994 World Cup-winning side.
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11833/9993977/barcelona-defender-rafinha-faces-long-spell-on-sidelines-after-surgery [ 此帖被羅力亞在2015-09-17 21:05重新編輯 ]