Barcelona's Carles Aleñá out for three and a half months
The Barça midfielder underwent an operation in Finland this afternoon as surgeon Doctor Sakari Orava repaired the tendon to his right hamstring.
Carles Aleñá won't return to official competition until October at the earliest. Barça's worst fears were confirmed today after the midfielder underwent surgery on his damaged hamstring tendon in Turku, Finland. Leading consultants Sakari Orava and Lasse Lempainen performed the operation. Aleñá tore the tendon in his right leg while on duty with Barça B in the recent Liga 1|2|3 meeting with Zaragoza at the Miniestadi. It is a similar injury to the one which Ousmane Dembélé suffered at the start of last season.
Aleñá recovering well
In the medical update released this afternoon, Barça's medical services stated they expect the recovery time to be "approximately three and a half months". The player will spend the next couple of days resting and will return to Catalunya to begin his rehabilitation at the weekend. If all goes according to plan, Aleñá could be given the medical all-clear at the end of September. However, he will have missed the pre-season which means he will need two to three weeks to get himself back to the same rhythm as the rest of the squad.
Arthur's arrival
Aleñá's injury is a big setback for Ernesto Valverde, who had decided to include the 20-year-old in the first team squad for the new season. Barcelona have not ruled out bringing forward the arrival date of new signing Arthur. Barça had agreed with Grêmio that Arthur would officially join in January 2019 but Aleñá's absence could change that.
