Thomas Vermaelen is set to have surgery and miss five months of football, meaning he could not play for Barcelona this season.
The Belgian international signed for the Catalans in the summer but has failed to make his debut after several injury problems and it now seems that the former Gunners defender will indeed have surgery to rectify the problem.
Vermaelen had been training of late with the first team but Finnish doctor Sakari Ovara, an expert in the field of hamstring problems, has confirmed that Barca have been in touch regarding Vermaelen’s situation.
Reports in Spanish press now claim that the centre back will miss another five months and have surgery, meaning he will not be fully fit until the end of April.