Marc-André ter Stegen has undergone successful surgery for his lower back problems. FC Barcelona issued a medical statement this Friday explaining that the intervention went as planned. An operation that was carried out in a clinic in Bordeaux (France) by Dr. Amélie Léglise and under the supervision of the Catalan club's medical services.
In the statement, the club does not establish a period of absence and says that "his evolution will determine the availability" of the goalkeeper, although it is estimated that he will be off the playing fields for about two or three months, hoping to return coinciding with the return of the Champions League, with the round of 16 qualifiers.
The German's operation has been surrounded by secrecy, to the point that until this Friday the details of it, as well as the specialist in charge of it, were unknown. Léglise, trained in orthopedic surgery, is specialized in back surgery and practices endoscopic spinal surgery, a minimally invasive technique, as it reduces surgical complications and allows a faster return to normal life.
Ter Stegen had been suffering from low back pain caused by a herniated disc for some time and had missed the last three games with FC Barcelona when he decided to undergo surgery to put an end to his discomfort. “The pause obviously annoys me,” the player acknowledged in a message on his social networks, although he assured that it was “the correct and safest decision to return to my club and the national team in the best conditions.”
With the Christmas break in between, FC Barcelona minimizes the number of games in which it will not be able to count on its starting goalkeeper. Iñaki Peña will take his place in the remaining games to finish the year (Girona, Antwerp, Valencia and Almería), as well as for the first of 2024, premiering in Las Palmas on January 4 and including the Spanish Super Cup that will be held on January 10 to 14.
