The injury Barcelona defender Gerard Pique sustained against Atletico Madrid on Saturday evening is feared to be worse than initially thought according to Mundo Deportivo.
Pique was fallen on top of awkwardly by Angel Correa causing what was initially diagnosed as a knee sprain. However, tests carried out on Sunday by Barcelona’s medical services, with Dr. Lluis Til at the helm, have corrected the initial diagnosis.
Pique has suffered a grade three sprain in the internal lateral ligament of his knee and, in addition, a partial injury to the anterior crucial ligament. The second part of this diagnosis was the part not included in the initial diagnosis.
It’s possible that Pique may seek a second opinion from Dr. Ramon Cugat, the knee specialist who recently operated on Ansu Fati. The Catalan effectively faces a choice between choosing to undergo surgery and choosing to go without surgery.
Should he decide to go without surgery, he’d be expected to miss between three and four months. This is said to be the option preferred by Barcelona at this stage, even though they’re open to reversing this stance should Dr. Cugat recommend otherwise.
Should Pique undergo surgery, he’d be out for a minimum of six months and can say goodbye to this season. If the cruciate ligament is torn, even partially, it’s normally recommended that the athlete in question undergoes surgery. He could miss up to eight months with this option.
Featured image courtesy of Barca Blaugranes.
