Barcelona defender at risk of surgery following Pedri injury blow - report

Barcelona are smarting after once again learning that they will be without arguably their best midfielder in Pedri for another three weeks, following another muscle strain for the 21-year-old. However further injury issues could be on the way, as defender Marcos Alonso continues to struggle with a spinal issue.

The veteran defender has been a bit-part player this season, but has missed their last five games through a back problem, and as per MD, it is not an issue that looks close to being resolved. As was the case with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Alonso will soon face a choice of taking two or three weeks off if it does not improve, or undergoing surgery.

Ter Stegen went under the knife around three weeks ago, and is set to be out for two to three months, jeopardising his presence against Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Were Alonso to undergo surgery, he would likely be out until at least March.

The 32-year-old has played just 299 minutes this season across 7 encounters, four of which were starts. In spite of his lack of action, it would rob Barcelona of depth at left-back, when they are approaching their busiest month of the season. Alejandro Balde and Joao Cancelo would be their only natural full-back options, although Sergi Roberto, Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo have all filled in at right-back in the past. With Xavi Hernandez facing enough problems as it is, this could be another headache.