This Barcelona player will undergo surgery and will be off the field for a long time

Barcelona are preparing to face the most demanding stage of the season. The players had a few days off for Christmas, but returned to training this week with their minds focused on next Thursday's match against Las Palmas in La Liga. A few days later they will have their debut in the Copa del Rey 2024, against Barbastro.

Then they will travel to Saudi Arabia to compete for the first title of the season: the Spanish Super Cup. And finally, starting in February, they will face their main objective, the Champions League round of 16 against Napoli.

Boss Xavi Hernandez knows that to compete in all these tournaments and live up to expectations, he will need the help of all the players in the squad. That is why the arrival of Vitor Roque, the Brazilian striker who joined from Athletico Paranaense this week and who will compete with Robert Lewandowski for a place in the starting lineup as center-forward, was great news.

But not all the news is good news for Barcelona. The Catalan club communicated this Sunday through social media that a squad player will undergo surgery and will be out of action for a long time. The statement says: "The first team player Marcos Alonso will undergo surgery next week to solve the lumbar problems he has. A new medical report will be issued at the end of the operation".

When will he be able to play again?

Although Barcelona did not give an estimated timeframe, the newspaper Sport assures that, if everything goes well in the surgery, Marcos Alonso will be out of the field for at least a month. That means he will miss a minimum of eight games with the team: vs Las Palmas, Real Betis and Villarreal in La Liga, vs Barbastro in Copa del Rey (and the next two phases, if they qualify) and the semifinal and final games of the Spanish Super Cup.