Doctors have revealed that Espanyol defender Victor Alvarez joked after heart surgery yesterday that he’ll likely miss the weekend’s derby with Barcelona.
The 20-year-old underwent a minor corrective procedure on Thursday and has been confirmed today by Espanyol as facing four to five months on the sidelines.
“We reviewed at the start of the season a problem with the aortic valve, which he had since birth, and monitored its evolution,” explained Dr Antoni Turmo, head of medical services at Espanyol.
“It ran no health risks, but we decided that it was best to operate at the end of the season.”
The doctors revealed that Alvarez joked after the operation: “I think I will not recover in time for the derby.”
