Philippe Coutinho is set to miss action for three months after undergoing a successful knee surgery as confirmed by Barcelona.
The Brazilian came in as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Eibar but could not make it to the end of the game after picking up a knee injury.
Barcelona released a statement on their website confirming the Brazilian playmaker would need to undergo a surgery on his left meniscus, which comes as a blow for the Catalan giants as the player will be out for a lengthy period of time.
Speaking ahead of the trip against Huesca on Sunday, Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman spoke on Coutinho’s injury alongside recent injuries that have plagued his side at large.
“It’s a bit unlucky, because we have so many important players out injured, and Philippe will be around three months out injured”
“He has always been an important player and will continue to be, but now he has to recover and I don’t know when he will be 100 per cent fit.”
“It is a significant injury and for the positions we have in front of us, you have to look at how we can solve Philippe’s absence.”
Should Philippe Coutinho return for Barcelona in April, the Brazilian could mark his 100th appearance for the club which could see Liverpool earn £18m for that.
Despite a total of 14 appearances under Koeman this term, Coutinho has only completed a full 90 minutes on one occasion and is still linked with a move away from the club.
