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Barcelona have suffered yet another major injury setback.
Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw with SD Eibar in their latest La Liga fixture. They started the night with a chance to break into the top four and ended it languishing at sixth on the La Liga table.
To make things worse, one of their best players this season so far, Philippe Coutinho, picked up a knee injury and is now set to be sidelined for 8-10 weeks.
Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho set to be sidelined for more than two months with knee injury
Philippe Coutinho underwent tests on Wednesday and it was revealed that he has damaged his meniscus ligament during Tuesday's game against SD Eibar. Coutinho limped off the pitch in stoppage time and Barcelona finished the game with 10 men as they had already used up all three of their substitutions.
Philippe Coutinho will now need to undergo a surgery in order to set things right and repair the damage.
The club released a statement that reads as follows:
The tests carried out on the first team player Philippe Coutinho have shown that the midfielder has an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Treatment will necessitate arthroscopic surgery which will take place in the coming days.
Barcelona have endured a difficult start to life under new manager Ronald Koeman and things don't seem to be getting better for the Catalans. Their injury concerns are mounting and the players and the manager are under a lot of pressure.
In addition to Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona are currently without long-term absentees Gerard Pique, Ansu Fati and Sergi Roberto.
Philippe Coutinho's injury comes right after Ousmane Dembele made his return to the side and Ronald Koeman will once again be short of options at the front. Coutinho returned to Barcelona this past summer after spending a season on loan at Bayern Munich.
The Barcelona midfielder had revealed earlier that Ronald Koeman was the reason why he returned to the club instead of seeking a new home. He had said, according to Sport,
"After the final of the Champions League, Koeman called me and told me that he wanted me to return to Barcelona. I was very happy to know that he trusted me and wanted me."
Coutinho had enjoyed a very successful loan spell at Bayern Munich last season and won the continental treble with the Bavarians.
