Find out the latest injury news and the potential return date for FC Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo.
FC Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo is injured, which has generated interest and concern. This article examines the details of the injury, such as the type, body part affected, and severity. It also includes Barca’s official statements and the expected timeline for Cancelo’s recovery.
🤕 Current Injury Details
On Friday, Barcelona released a statement to confirm Cancelo suffered a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. They did not disclose how severe the MCL sprain is.
The right-back twisted his knee during a collision with an opponent during Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas. He got his knee bandaged and returned to play, but only lasted four minutes, before he had to come off the pitch.
🗣️ What has Barcelona said?
Speaking after the Las Palmas game on Thursday, Xavi Hernandez appeared hopeful Cancelo wouldn’t be out for long.
“He’s OK. In theory, it is his knee,” the Barcelona manager said of the player in a post-match press conference.
“It doesn’t seem serious. We will see [on Friday] when he has tests.”
🗓️ Recovery Timeline
Barcelona have refused to state when Cancelo could play again or the grade of his MCL sprain, stating “his recovery will dictate his return”.
According to the Idaho Sports Medicine Institute, the average recovery period for an MCL sprain can be from three to 12 or more weeks. This depends on the grade of the MCL sprain, treatment plan, and recovery program.
Grade 1 sprains may recover in 3 weeks, while grade 2-3 sprains may take at least 4+ weeks.
If this is the case, Cancelo could miss at least three games for Barcelona over the January period. This will involve Sunday’s Copa del Rey trip to Barbastro, next week’s Spanish Super Cup against Osasuna in Saudi Arabia, and the LaLiga trip to Real Betis on January 21.
📋 Injury Record
The last injury Cancelo suffered was between September and October 2020. The 29-year-old had a foot injury, causing him to miss 16 days for Manchester City.
His longest injury layoff was in 2017, when he was sidelined for around 44 days because of a ligament problem. This caused him to nine games for Inter Milan and the Portuguese national team.
🩹 Which other Barcelona players are out?
| Player | Injury | Date Injured | Return Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavi | Cruciate ligament tear | 20/11/2023 | 6/30/2024 |
| Marcos Alonso | Back injury | 12/1/2023 | 3/1/2024 |
| Marc-André ter Stegen | Back injury | 11/17/2023 | 2/12/2024 |
| Iñigo Martínez | Hamstring injury | 12/4/2023 | 1/6/2024 |
| Pedri | muscular problems | 12/18/2023 | ? |
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Copa del Rey
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
