Barcelona suffered a major setback ahead of the start of pre-season as one of their key players and club captain, Ronald Araujo, sustained an injury and will undergo surgery, confirmed the club on Monday.
Araujo sustained a thigh injury during the match against Brazil in the 2024 Copa America quarter-final a few days ago after which he was forced the leave the field as he could not continue due to pain.
There were doubts about whether his injury will require surgery or not but it has now been confirmed that he will undergo surgery in Finland in the upcoming days.
“Tests carried out at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper have shown that first-team player Ronald Araujo has an injury to the hamstring tendon of his right thigh,” the statement from the club read.
“In the coming days, he will undergo surgical treatment by Dr. Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the Club’s medical services, in Turku (Finland). At the end of the intervention, a new medical statement will be provided.”
With surgery set to take place, Araujo could be out of action for as long as four months which would keep him away from football until December.
As the Uruguayan is to be sidelined for the remainder of this year, Barcelona is expected to continue to trust Inigo Martinez and Eric Garcia to keep depth in the squad at defence.
Araujo’s injury would be a big blow for newly-appointed head coach Hansi Flick as he will also be without one of Barcelona’s key players, Gavi, who tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) last year and has been out of action since.
Another Barcelona star, Pedri got injured during the recently-concluded European Championship (Euro) 2024, which Spain won by beating England in the final, and may miss the start of the season.
