Barcelona wonderkid Vitor Roque suffered what at first looked a serious injury during his latest match for Athletico Paranaense against Internacional. During the first half, a challenge from Mario Hernandez left him writhing on the floor.
There has been no medical assessment of the injury, but fans were left fearing the worst initially, with Roque stretchered off in tears.
VITOR ROQUE LESIONADO! 😳😢 Ele sofreu essa chegada do Nico Hernández quando estava com a perna no chão e teve que deixar o campo de maca! Que não seja nada grave! 🙏
🚨 Athletico x Internacional é AGORA na @tntbr e na @CazeTVOficial: https://t.co/WDWfNmJOxy #BrasileirãoNaTNT pic.twitter.com/V7mRltapoI
— TNT Sports BR (@TNTSportsBR) September 21, 2023
However Sport say that Roque and the staff were calmed down in the second half, where he would watch the match from the side, now with crutches. They say his camp has out out a message of calm.
Barcelona have a agreed a deal which could be worth up to €61m with Athletico PR in order to have his services by the summer of 2024. That said, Barcelona do not have another forward in their squad outside of Robert Lewandowski, and Xavi Hernandez has publicly declared that they will try to bring that deal forward to January, something that looks tricky without significant exits too. It could well be the difference for Barcelona though, with Lewandowski playing without a back up striker to rotate and rest with.
