Barcelona youngster likely to be out for at least a month after injury vs Athletic Club

Apart from suffering a disheartening 4-2 defeat at the hands of Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals last night, Barcelona were also dealt with a few injury setbacks during the game.

Alejandro Balde was the first to go down with a thigh injury in the first period and had to be taken off by Xavi Hernandez with Hector Fort replacing him.

The 20-year-old left-back went down clutching the back of his thigh around the 20th-minute mark and immediately asked for assistance. As he walked off the pitch, the left-back appeared to be in tears.

Balde could be out for at least a month

Balde, along with two fellow defenders Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo who also suffered injuries, will undergo tests at Barcelona’s training facilities today.

But early signs suggest that Balde could be out of action for at least one month, reports SER.

This would come as a major blow for Barcelona as the 20-year-old was just showing signs of recovering his form after a subpar first half of the season.

Furthermore, with Marcos Alonso also unavailable after undergoing surgery to fix a back problem, Barça will now be without a natural left-back in the squad and will likely have to rely on Joao Cancelo and Hector Fort in the games to come.

A clearer picture of the situation surrounding Balde’s injury should emerge once he undergoes medical examinations later today.

But the early indications are not positive and if he is out for a month at least, it would mean that the Spaniard will be unable to play in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg tie against Napoli in February.