Barcelona have officially announced that Alejandro Balde is scheduled to undergo surgery in the coming days to address a hamstring injury.
The 20-year-old defender left the field just 23 minutes into Barcelona's 4-2 Copa del Rey semi-final loss against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The absence of Balde leaves Barcelona with a shortage of options at left-back, with Marcos Alonso and Joao Cancelo both currently sidelined due to injury.
In response, Barca boss Xavi has had to place his trust in youngster Hector Fort, who replaced Balde in the back line on Wednesday night.
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"Tests show that first team player Alejandro Balde has an injury to the tendon in his right hamstring," Barcelona said in a statement.
"He will undergo a surgical procedure at the hands of Dr. Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the club's medical staff, in Turku, Finland. Once the procedure has been carried out a new statement will be released."
It is understood that having to undergo surgery likely means that Balde will miss the remainder of the league season, and he will be in a race against time to regain fitness for Euro 2024.
Throughout the season, Xavi has regularly turned to Barcelona's renowned La Masia academy for squad depth.
Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez have featured in the squad regularly this term, with Fort and Pau Cubarsi emerging as notable additions in recent weeks.
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Still, Balde's injury represents another big hit to Blaugrana during an already demanding season, with the team currently sitting in third place in the La Liga standings and already out of the Copa del Rey.
Given Barcelona's ongoing challenges with player registrations due to Financial Fair Play constraints, the likelihood of securing a replacement for their stricken left-back during the current transfer window is considered unlikely.
Balde emerged as one of the most promising young talents in European football last season when he made 38 appearances across all competitions and contributed six assists and a goal.
Xavi had previously hailed Balde as one of Barca's stars for the future and as the club's long-term option on the left side of defence.
The left-back featured in 18 of Barcelona's 20 league matches this term and played in all six of the side's Champions League group stage matches.
Devesh Jaganath
