The injury to Marc-André Ter Stegen came as a shock to FC Barcelona, who had to scramble to find a replacement in the form of Szczesny, who has enjoyed the confidence of Hansi Flick in recent months. The club has seen the need to find a replacement for the player who, at almost 33 years of age, is expected to miss this season through injury and it remains to be seen how he recovers from it. The goalkeeper has suffered a very serious knee injury after rupturing his patellar tendon. It is an injury from which it is difficult to return to the highest level. However, his recovery is progressing at a better pace than expected and he may be able to play this season.
Marc André ter Stegen “is on the right track”. Those were the words of the Barça coach at a press conference without wanting to give more clues about the near future of the goalkeeper who has been injured since September. He did not want to talk about dates as he considers “it is private information, like everything that is discussed with the doctors”. What the coach did confirm is that he has already started working with José Ramón de la Fuente, goalkeeper coach.
Despite the reports in Sport and Mundo Deportivo, if the player is available again this season it won’t be until May. A month in which Barça could still be fighting for all the titles they aspire to: La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. The possible presence of Ter Stegen in any of these matches could be an incentive and a boost for the fans and his teammates, but whether or not he returns to the pitch this season will depend on what his battered knee has to say. It’s better to wait and not relapse than to force it and make the injury worse or even chronic. It’s been four and a half months since he underwent surgery and the progress is very favorable, which is cause for optimism.
The same thing happened with Courtois at Real Madrid who, after being injured all season, reappeared in the Champions League final and in the last league games. He’s the mirror in which to look.