Barcelona advised youngster to have surgery amid Ansu Fati concerns

Barcelona have not been blessed with much good news of late, and while Xavi Hernandez’s departure has eclipsed all else, the injury to Alejandro Balde was another bitter blow last week. The 20-year-old defender has been ruled out for the rest of the season after a hamstring tear and tendon damage, and is set to undergo surgery.

Balde could potentially have returned after a month or two if he went for more conservative treatment, and MD detail that he received differing advice from within the club. However the medical staff and the technical staff, including Xavi Hernandez, were clear that he should have the surgery.

They pointed to the fact that not having it could turn the issue into a recurring problem impacting the rest of his career, potentially losing his explosiveness and speed, two of his key attributes.

Of course he has the precedent of Ansu Fati, his teammate and one of his good friends within Can Barca, who has been hampered by injuries for several years now, and looks a shadow of the player he was. At Barcelona, they say the injury Balde has is more serious than that of Fati. He will undergo surgery on Monday in Finland.

This should not immediately mean that Balde suffers a similar path. Ansu was rushed back from injury on multiple occasions, only to pull up with further problems, and then opted for that conservative treatment after surgery failed to fix things on two occasions. With the summer break to recover, it should allow Balde to rest and recover fully.