Barcelona learn how long Andreas Christensen will be out for after latest injury setback | OneFootball

Barcelona confirmed a left thigh strain for Andreas Christensen after the Dane was forced off in the 3-1 victory over Sevilla.

Christensen was replaced by Gerard Martin, and images of him covering his face in horror on the touchline made everyone fear the worst.

For the amount of talent the 30-year-old has, his career has been compromised in its prime years by his inability to stay fit.

Now, according to journalist Santi Ovalle, the 30-year-old is expected to be unavailable for at least the next month.

Christensen facing significant spell out

The club initially stopped short of providing a recovery timeline, stating that Christensen’s progress would determine when he could return.

However, Ovalle has now provided a rough guideline on just how many weeks of action the Dane could eventually miss.

Christensen is set for another spell on the sidelines. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

A four-to-six-week absence would make this considerably more than a minor interruption, particularly given how regularly Christensen had been featuring this season.

The injury could hardly have arrived at a more frustrating moment for the centre-back. Five starts in Barcelona’s opening eight matches showed that Flick was increasingly relying on him again.

He was also performing well before suffering the injury against Sevilla, even providing the assist for Raphinha’s equaliser.

The international break softens the immediate impact because Christensen can spend part of his recovery period without missing Barcelona matches.

Even so, four to six weeks would still leave Flick without an important defensive option once club football resumes.

Hansi Flick will have to improvise in central defence until Christensen returns. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

It could have been so much worse

For Barcelona, the priority has to be ensuring Christensen returns properly rather than simply as quickly as possible.

His recent injury history makes that especially important. His stylistic importance to the team cannot be understated.

A fit and in-form Christensen is likely to be Pau Cubarsi’s first-choice defensive partner in big games, and Flick needs him to be fit when the games come thick and fast.

Flick has enough defensive versatility to find solutions while Christensen recovers, and it remains to be seen how long it takes before the Dane returns to action.