A major blow to Barcelona as one of their key attacking players has been ruled out for the rest of the year after emergency surgery was required.
FC Barcelona announced on Wednesday that the player underwent an appendectomy after reporting severe abdominal pain.
Timing could not be worse for Barcelona, who are expecting to clinch the La Liga title in their next match against local rivals Espanyol.
The player who was ruled out is Ferran Torres, who has been one of the most important players for the Blaugrana this season, primarily as an impact substitute, as reported by Goal.
Despite struggling for cohesive form in previous seasons with Barcelona, the 25-year-old Spaniard has flourished under Hansi Flick, contributing 26 goals and assists across just 1,921 minutes of play.
Without Ferran Torres, Barcelona’s front line will look quite different, especially with Robert Lewandowski also returning from injury.
Torres’ alarming hospital admission came after he described some discomfort earlier in the day, leading to examinations at Hospital de Barcelona.
Quickly, doctors found the need for the emergency appendectomy and cut short his season.
His absence makes Hansi Flick’s selection worry for the derby more complex – Lewandowski’s fitness is a lingering concern, potentially allowing Ansu Fati, the neglected teenage star, the rare opportunity to start in an important match.
Now, Barcelona’s title chances depend on how well they navigate without Torres, whose role stretching the pitch and clinical impact from the bench this season were important.
The squad has some depth, but they will miss him, knowing they have to win to be crowned league champions against Espanyol.
Fans do not want this blip to be a momentum-killer with the stretch run of the season in sight.
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