Barcelona optimistic that long-term absentee could return from injury before end of season | OneFootball

In September, Barcelona were devastated by the serious knee injury suffered by captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. The 32-year-old German goalkeeper sustained the crushing blow during the 5-1 away victory at Villarreal, and at the time, it was reported that he would miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. However, this may not actually end up being the case.

As reported by Sport, Ter Stegen is undergoing a very novel stem cell treatment, and this has proven to be very successful in previous cases. It is also known to heal injuries quicker, which is why Barcelona are quietly optimistic that they could have their first-choice ‘keeper back before the end of the season.

Specifically, Barcelona believe that Ter Stegen could end up being available as early as April. However, his return would only happen if they are 100% certain that he will not suffer a recurrence.

Inaki Pena has done relatively well in the two months that has been Barcelona’s starter, while Wojciech Szczesny has yet to play since being signed as Ter Stegen’s replacement for the rest of the season. It could be complicated if three high-class ‘keepers are forced to compete for one spot later in the campaign.