Barcelona forward Joao Felix has been ruled out of action for an indefinite period of time after suffering an ankle ligament injury during training on Tuesday morning.
Felix, on loan from Atletico Madrid, suffered a sprain to the ligaments in his right ankle and has been declared “unavailable for selection” ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Osasuna in La Liga.
Barcelona have offered no timeframe on the Portugal international’s absence other than “his recovery will dictate his return”, but sprains might typically take anything from two or three weeks to 12 weeks to heal depending on the severity of the specific injury.
Felix has been a regular for Barca this season, making 28 appearances in all competitions – 20 of them as a starter, making his absence a cause for some concern. The 24-year-old has also contributed seven goals, all in La Liga, five total assists.
MEDICAL NEWS ❗️
In training on Tuesday morning the first team player João Félix sprained a ligament in his right ankle. He is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return. pic.twitter.com/9S8KYDSQLK
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 30, 2024
Felix has tended to be used on the left wing by Xavi, rotated frequently with Ferran Torres over the last couple of months in particular. The boss has largely switched between Raphinha and 16-year-old La Masia prodigy Lamine Yamal on the opposite flank.
Barca were knocked out of the Copa del Rey at the hands of Athletic Club last week, although their schedule remains busy. After facing Osasuna, February brings La Liga games against Alaves, Granada, Celta Vigo and Getafe, as well as the return of the Champions League against Napoli.
Arguably already out of contention in this season’s Spanish title race, Xavi’s team slipped to fourth in the table behind Atletico following a calamitous defeat to Villarreal over the weekend and can hardly afford to drop more points given that Athletic Club remain only narrowly behind in fifth.
Xavi delivered Barca’s first La Liga triumph since 2019 last season but it would a disaster if the Camp Nou legend’s final act before his confirmed summer departure was to be the club’s first failure to qualify for the Champions League since 2003.
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