Germany head coach, Julian Nagelsmann has revealed that the news of Marc-Andre ter Stegen's serious knee injury came as a major shock after the Barcelona goalkeeper underwent an operation, and is to be sidelined for at least eight months.
The incident occurred during the LaLiga clash between Barcelona and Villarreal resulting in a 5-1 win. The goalkeeper fell badly after jumping for a ball and was visibly in pain as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher on Sunday.
According to Barcelona, Ter Stegen suffered a rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee.
In a statement released by Barcelona on Monday, the club has confirmed the goalkeeper had been successfully operated on.
Reports state that, the fall was on his right knee, on which he had two operations in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.
However, Spanish reports suggest he will miss around eight months, which means he is unlikely to appear for the club again in the current campaign.
Speaking in an interview after the game, Barcelona Coach Hansi Flick said: "I think it will be a huge injury, when he lay down on the field... you can see it directly."
Meanwhile, Germany’s Coach, Nagelsmann has now lost two experienced goalkeepers in a month following Manuel Neuer's International retirement in August.
"The news of Marc's injury was a big shock for us," said Nagelsmann.
Nagelsmann speaking on the German FA website on Monday, he said: "We will miss him a lot on and off the pitch."
"We wish Marc all the best... we will always be there for him on his way back."
Previously, Coach Nagelsmann had selected two uncapped keepers, Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann and Stuttgart's Alexander Nubel, as back-up for Ter Stegen in Nations League matches against Hungary and Netherlands earlier this month.
Inaki Pena was selected as replacement forTer Stegen, and is reportedly set to fill in for the German, although Barcelona may look to sign a replacement.
Coach Flick mentioned that it was too soon to comment on the issue.
"I don't know if I like this question directly after the match... I just want to see how Marc is, he's our captain and is a very important player for us," he said.
"Please understand that I don't want to talk about that."
On the other handheld, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, has also offered support to Goalkeeper Ter Stegen.
When interviewed, Ancelotti said: "I want to say that I'm really sorry for Ter Stegen... I hope he can recover soon."
"He's one of the best goalkeepers in the world. I hope his recovery is as quick as possible," Ancelotti remarked.
Moving on, Germany, is at the top of their Nations League group with four points after two matches, and will be playing Bosnia and Netherlands in October.
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