Barcelona veteran defender could opt to undergo surgery as back problems persist

It has been more than a month since Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso was last seen in action. The 32-year-old’s last appearance came in the UEFA Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in early November.

Following that, the left-back was an unused substitute in two La Liga matches against Alaves and Rayo Vallecano before getting sidelined with a back problem.

Alonso has since gone on to miss Barcelona’s previous four games in all competitions against Atletico Madrid, Girona, Royal Antwerp, and Valencia.

And the defender will be unavailable for tonight’s La Liga clash against Almeria as well, as he has still not recovered from the back discomfort.

Alonso considering surgery

Now, according to Gabriel Sans of Mundo Deportivo, the persistence of the back discomfort poses a risk of surgery, with Barcelona and Alonso now assessing this possibility, as happened previously with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

When Barcelona released a medical statement confirming Alonso was dealing with lower back pain, they did not provide an exact timeline for his recovery and return.

But it was expected that the Spanish left-back would be ready in two weeks’ time.

However, that is not how things have gone as Alonso is still not feeling well and Barcelona are now considering the possibility of him undergoing surgery, as happened with Ter Stegen.

The goalkeeper was struggling with a back problem last month and after some deliberation, he opted to undergo surgery, which will see him be sidelined until February 2024.

It will now be interesting to see whether Alonso, whose contract with the Blaugrana expires at the end of the season, opts to go down a similar route, with the option now being studied by him and the club.