FC Barcelona lost more than they won in the last week, with yesterday’s 1-0 win seeming almost like a loss due to what that match has taken away from the club. While training in preparation for yesterday’s match, Barcelona forward Joao Felix, on loan from Atletico Madrid, suffered an injury that has now kept him on the sidelines for the upcoming games.
And if that wasn’t sufficient, 7 minutes into yesterday’s match, Ferran Torres, the most in-form forward the club currently has, pulled his hamstring and left the pitch in tears. These are massive blows for the team as they are preparing for the all-important Champions League R016 tie against Napoli in a few weeks.
When will Ferran Torres return from injury?
Yesterday, in the match against Osasuna, Barcelona was dealt a serious blow as their in-form striker, Ferran Torres, started limping after chasing a loose ball in the 7th minute of the game. Subsequently, the medical staff were brought on the field, and in the next few minutes, the player was replaced by a young midfielder, Fermin Lopez. Ferran Torres was in tears when he came off the field and the whole stadium erupted and gave applause to the player at that time.
According to sources, reports have come out that the player has pulled up his right hamstring and his recovery will determine his availability for the upcoming matches. It has seemingly been reported that the player could be out for approximately a month, as a hamstring injury takes a month to heal.
The former Manchester City player, who was signed by Barcelona for €55.00 million in the January window of the 2021/22 season, has been performing inconsistently since then but in the current season, the player was in top-notch form, scoring 11 goals and providing 4 assists, with his nickname already being stated as “The Shark” by the fans this season. His injury could be a huge blow to any success chances for Barcelona in the current campaign under Xavi, who has announced his departure at the end of the season.
Victor Roque scores first Barcelona goal in Ferran Torres absence
Even though the injury to Ferran Torres shadowed the other parts of the performance yesterday, including Fermin Lopez’s wonderful performance when he came on as a substitute, one man whose performance could not have gone unnoticed is the striker Vitor Roque, recently signed from Athletico-PR, who scored the all-important winning goal in the 63rd minute of the match with his first touch of the game.
After coming on for Fermin Lopez in the 62nd minute, who was surprisingly subbed off despite his impressive performance in the match, Vitor Roque took just one minute to score his first goal for the new club from a cross from Joao Cancelo, who also recently returned from the injury lay-off. It took the Brazilian three matches to score his first goal for the new club but he is expected to score more once he finds his rhythm with the team.
The Brazilian was in top form for his former Brazilian side, where he scored 28 goals and 11 assists after just two seasons in the league. Due to his impressive performances, Barcelona went for him and he is already being expected to deliver goals like his fellow South American player, Luis Suarez, who is an all-time legend of the club.
The injury to Ferran Torres has added to the injury crisis the club is currently facing, with around eight first-team players already out injured before the RO16 clash against Napoli. Do you think the injury to the Spanish forward will affect the club’s chances of qualification to the quarterfinals of the Champions League? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
