Barcelona have reportedly lost Andres Iniesta until next year after the midfielder injured knee ligaments against Valencia on Saturday.
Iniesta left the game at Mestalla, which ended 3-2 to Barca, both on a stretcher and in tears after he fell awkwardly from Enzo Perez’s robust challenge in the first half.
“The first team player Andrés Iniesta has injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee,” read a medical report on the Catalans’ official website.
“When he arrives in Barcelona the player will have more tests to find out the exact extent of the injury.”
However, Sport cites reports on Radio Catalunya that claim Iniesta has played his last match of 2016 and faces two-and-a-half months out.
The 33-year-old is due to undergo more tests once he returns to Barcelona with the team, but he looks set to miss La Blaugrana’s next 14 games, including the Clasico against Real Madrid on December 4.
Consequently, Sport concludes “the idea, right now, is that Iniesta recovers to be in perfect condition for the start of 2017”.
