He will miss a series of matches: Rodri's injury worse than Barcelona revealed
A setback for the player and the club
Barcelona have suffered a morale blow ahead of their eagerly awaited clash against Atletico Madrid. More worrying details have emerged over the injury to midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez, and his absence could now stretch to almost a full month, robbing the team of his services across a run of important matches.
The Catalan club announced today, in an official medical statement, that the tests Rodri underwent confirmed a minor injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his right leg, after he felt muscular discomfort during the clash against Aston Villa. The statement gave no timescale, confirming only that he would miss Sunday's La Liga meeting with Atletico Madrid.
A muscle tear, not a minor injury
According to the newspaper "Sport", the tests confirmed the player had suffered a tear in the biceps femoris muscle in his right leg, an injury that could sideline him for four weeks. That makes it far more serious than the club's medical statement suggested.
Rodri's absence, then, will not stop at the trip to the Metropolitano next Sunday. It will stretch across several matches over the coming weeks.
Important matches
The newspaper explained that Rodri will miss the clash against Villarreal on 22 November. He will not travel with the team to Baku to face Sabah in the UEFA Champions League either, and will also sit out the game against Deportivo.
His participation with Spain during the November international break looks set to suffer too, with the midfielder due to join up for two internationals.
Should the recovery period drag on, Rodri may also miss the La Liga clash against Celta Vigo and the Champions League tie against Manchester City. His final situation will depend on how he responds to treatment.
The timing could hardly be worse for Hansi Flick given how important Rodri has become this season. He has featured in 14 official matches for Barcelona, racking up 945 minutes, and started on 11 occasions.
Rodri has grown into a key man in the German's thinking of late, starting six of the last seven games. Now Flick must rejig his midfield options without him.
Marc Bernal, who replaced Rodri in the second half against Aston Villa and caught the eye, stands out alongside Frenkie de Jong among the options to cover the gap.
