Barcelona key player not ruled out of Real Madrid clash after surgery – report | OneFootball

Earlier today, FC Barcelona confirmed that Joan Garcia had undergone successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper suffered an injury late in the game against Real Oviedo and did not train on Friday, when the club announced that he would be operated on, instead of taking the conservative treatment option.

With the surgery being completed today without any problems, Garcia is now expected to be out for a period of four to six weeks, provided there are no setbacks.

As such, the general feeling was that he would miss the first El Clasico of the season, set to be played in a month, on 26 October, at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Garcia not ruled out of Clasico

However, according to Javi Miguel of AS, Joan Garcia has not been ruled out of playing in El Clasico on 26 October.

The arthroscopy on the internal meniscus of his left knee brought relief to the club’s medical staff, as no collateral damage was detected.

Club sources describe it as a “clean and straightforward” procedure, meaning recovery could follow the most optimistic timeline – around four weeks.

Joan Garcia could recover in time for the Clasico. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

If all goes well, the summer arrival could even make it in time for the Real Madrid clash, which takes place exactly one month from now.

Barcelona were reassured once Garcia’s knee was examined during the operation.

Unlike Gavi’s recent case, where what was intended as a simple arthroscopic clean-up of the meniscus turned into a suture that extended recovery to around five months, Garcia’s situation has gone entirely to plan.

As a result, his progress is expected to be faster, with the medical team, led by surgeon Joan Carles Monllau, expressing confidence to the player immediately after the procedure.

Even so, Garcia will certainly miss Barcelona’s next five fixtures: against Real Sociedad, PSG, Sevilla, Girona and Olympiacos. From there, the countdown begins, with El Clasico on 26 October set as his first major target.