The increasingly strained relationship between FC Barcelona and their captain, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, has been making the headlines for quite some time now.
The two parties have seen their relationship deteriorate due to several factors, including the signing of Joan Garcia and the decision to make him the starter next season, Wojciech Szczesny’s extension and his being the back-up goalkeeper for the Spaniard, and the opposing viewpoints of the club and the player about his continuity in the Blaugrana team.
In all these factors, another one was added a few days ago as Ter Stegen not only took to social media to announce his decision to undergo back surgery ahead of the decided time with Barcelona, but also mentioned the timeframe of his recovery to be around three months.
Dr. Ripoll disagrees with Ter Stegen
This latest episode has got a lot of people talking, and the opinion of some specialists could be invaluable in this scenario. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, Dr. Pedro Luis Ripoll, who Forbes mentioned as one of the best traumatologists in Spain in 2018, gave his opinion on Ter Stegen’s claim regarding his recovery time.
Talking about this matter on a Spanish television channel, the medical specialist said:
“At first glance, three months is a very tight timeframe, but it depends on what they’re going to do to him. He’s put himself in a very uncomfortable position, because after the operation, there will be a medical report.”
Will the goalkeeper’s statement impact La Liga?
Further talking about whether Ter Stegen’s statement can impact Barcelona’s registration of new players, the doctor said:
“The La Liga medical tribunal is not going to fall for Ter Stegen’s message. And if the player says he’ll only need three weeks to recover, what’s the point?”
Dr. Ripoll once again expressed his belief that the goalkeeper should have refrained from mentioning the timeframe of his recovery:
“On paper, it will be more like four months. It would have been better if he had kept quiet until after the operation. La Liga is not going to be lenient with the timeline: it’s a second back surgery for a goalkeeper.”
These words from such a renowned medical specialist certainly go in favour of Barcelona, as a player being absent for around four months allows clubs to use 80% of his salary margin for the registration of other players with La Liga.
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Last year, the Catalan club took advantage of this rule to get Dani Olmo registered when Andreas Christensen was injured, and hopefully, they will be able to get one of their new signings, Joan Garcia or Marcus Rashford, registered if Ter Stegen is going to remain absent for more than three months.
