Updated 12.20
BARCELONA CAPTAIN CARLES Puyol looks set to miss out on the European Championships and his team-mate, David Villa is also deemed unlikely to travel.
This morning Barcelona confirmed that the robust defender would require surgery on his right knee.
In a statement, the Catalan club have said that Puyol complained of pain in the joint after the club’s 4-0 La Liga win over city rivals, Espanyol, on Saturday.
The 34-year-old will undergo surgery on the problem this weekend.
“Following complementary tests, we have decided to subject the player to arthroscopy next Saturday.” Said the statement which went on to indicate a six-week layoff which would have ruled him out until the quarter finals.
Since the news broke, Vicente Del Bosque has spoken on his injury concerns and also reiterated the doubt over Villa, saying, ‘It would be very complicated to see Villa at the Euros’.
Assistant national team coach, Toni Grande, confirmed Puyol would not be taken in a 23-man squad,
“We have been frozen.” Grande told LaInformacion.com “Puyol is vitally important for his seniority, his courage, his strength, for everything, because he is the captain.”
However, the assistant soon signalled that the Spain would continue the defence of their crown without Puyol saying, ‘too bad for the player’.
His absence should is likely to mean a reshuffle in the World Champions’ defence. Sergio Ramos is the likely candidate to partner Gerard Pique, while the right back spot could be between Alvaro Arbeloa and Andoni Iraola.
Were Villa to fail to sufficiently recover from the broken leg sustained during the December’s World Club Championships, then Del Bosque could turn to Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente.
