FC Barcelona and Marc Bernal have received the worst prognoses on the morning of Wednesday, August 28. The Blaugrana club issued a medical statement in which it reports that, after subjecting the player to various tests this morning, it has been confirmed that the midfielder "has a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee and an injury associated with the external meniscus. He will undergo surgical treatment in the coming days."
The footballer was injured in an action with Isi Palazón on the sidelines and, after being treated, he was unable to finish Tuesday's match against Rayo Vallecano (1-2). The first examinations carried out in Vallecas already indicated that Bernal had torn his anterior cruciate ligament, but the studies he underwent today have confirmed that his external meniscus is also affected.
This problem is the same one that Gavi suffered on November 20 with the Spanish national team and from which he is still recovering. Hansi Flick had already predicted the worst news at the end of the match against Rayo, saying in a press conference that "I am very sad about Bernal's injury, the dressing room is very affected, his situation hurts us a lot." Marc's absence is a hard blow for both the player and the team, since the German coach had bet heavily on him, giving him three starts in the first three league games.
And although the club did not specify the length of time that Bernal will be out, the La Masia youth player has said goodbye to the season. At 17 years old and still a Barça Atlètic player, the midfielder will not be back under the orders of Flick or Albert Sánchez for the rest of the season, as his physical problem is serious and the club will handle his return to training with caution to recover him to 100% and avoid a future relapse that affects the rest of the long and promising career he has ahead of him.
Barça's alternatives
Now, the Barça coach and his staff will have to analyse which is the best option to cover Marc's absence. While waiting for Frenkie de Jong and Gavi to return from their injuries, everything points to Marc Casadó being the main candidate to replace him. Another of the alternatives that Flick is considering is Pau Prim, who he follows very closely in the reserve team. Finally, the German has two centre-backs who can also act as pivots, such as Andreas Christensen and Eric García, although both are currently injured.