The FIFA virus hit FC Barcelona during the November international break. 19-year-old Spanish midfielder Gavi was injured on international duty for Spain and his recovery took a long time.
"Tests carried out on Monday morning on first-team player Gavi, showed that he has a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and a related injury to the lateral meniscus," said a statement on Barcelona's official website.
"The player will undergo surgery in the coming days, after which a medical update will be released."
Barcelona did not specify the recovery time required, but it is believed that Gavi will be out for a long time until the end of the 2023-2024 season. In addition, there is great potential for Barcelona's La Masia product to miss the 2024 European Cup.
Gavi's injury with the Spanish national team has reportedly angered Barcelona, as Spain has already qualified for the 2024 European Cup and Gavi should not have to play against Georgia.
Gavi is an important player in Barcelona's midfield, despite the fact that Xavi Hernandez's team still has Frenkie de Jong, Oriol Romeu, Pedri and Ilkay Gundogan.
Barcelona should also be able to recruit a replacement for Gavi worth 80 percent of the player's salary value, in the winter transfer market (January 2024). However, Barcelona's sporting director Deco has ruled out signing a new midfielder.
According to Deco, Gavi is irreplaceable and no player in the transfer market can replace his role.
"At the moment, Gavi is an irreplaceable player. There is no player available on the market to do his job, neither with his mentality nor with his abilities," Deco was quoted as saying by Football-Espana.
"Discussing a replacement for Gavi is a mistake; it's a mistake to think that we'll find a player to replace him. We won't find one," he explained.