Barcelona: Barcelona on Monday said that its goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will undergo knee surgery.
"Based upon the exchange with the medical team the first team player Marc ter Stegen will do a voluntary medical intervention tomorrow on his right patellar tendon conducted by the expert Dr Ramon Cugat," the club said in a statement.
"It is a proactive measure which is now done in order to prevent and prepare for the future since the player had some irritations on the tendon earlier in the season," the statement added.
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen The German goalkeeper played a total of 46 games this season; 36 in the league, eight in the Champions League and two in the Copa del Rey. Furthermore, he kept a total of 15 clean sheets.
Ter Stegen said he will need 'some weeks' to fully recover.
"I will undergo an Intervention for my knee-tendon. The medical experts and I discussed to do this 'Clean-up' as there were some irritations earlier this season. It's a proactive intervention in order to prevent and prepare for the future. I will need some weeks to recover and to return to 100%. I'm calm and positive about the situation, I will come back soon. Once again, thanks for all the support I've been receiving. I appreciate it a lot," ter Stegen said in an Instagram post.
"It is a proactive measure which is now done in order to prevent and prepare for the future, since the player had some irritations on the tendon earlier in the season."
The club did not say how long the 28-year-old would be sidelined for, with the new La Liga season starting in less than four weeks on Sept. 12.
Ter Stegen kept 14 clean sheets in the league as Barcelona finished second, conceding the lead and then the title to rivals Real Madrid after the restart.
Barcelona's backup goalkeeper is 31-year-old Neto, who played four times this season and kept one clean sheet.
