A member of the youth setup at La Liga giants Barcelona has this week been forced under the knife.
The player in question? Mamadou Mbacke.
Defender Mbacke, for his part, suffered a complete tear of the internal lateral ligament in his left ankle during a meeting with Lugo late last month.
After medical scans confirmed the worst, it was decided that the 21-year-old would undergo surgery, to afford Mbacke the best shot at a full recovery.
And, as confirmed in a statement across Barcelona’s social media platforms, as much proved to be a success.
Unfortunately for the Senegalese, however, the timing of his injury could not have proven much worse.
Mbacke is currently on loan in Catalunya’s capital, from MLS outfit Los Angeles FC.
The talented defender has enjoyed a solid campaign all told, shining at the heart of Rafa Márquez’s Barca Atlètic defence, enough to take his place in first-team training on a number of occasions, too.
As per a report from Mundo Deportivo, however, his untimely fitness blow has thrown Mbacke’s continuation on Barcelona’s books up in the air.
It is now altogether unclear whether or not the Blaugrana intend to make his arrival a permanent one with a view to next season.
As much cannot be ruled out, but all of a sudden looks less likely than it did just a couple of weeks ago.
Conor Laird | GSFN
