Defender Ronald Araujo may miss the Uruguayan national team in the World Cup finals in Qatar, which begins on November 20, due to having to undergo thigh surgery, his Barcelona team announced Monday.
And the Spanish media reported that the surgery will keep the central defender away from the stadiums from two to three months, which means that his participation in the Qatar World Cup finals is very unlikely.
The 23-year-old suffered a torn thigh muscle one minute following the start of the friendly match that his country lost to Iran 0-1 on Friday in Austria as part of the two teams’ preparations for the World Cup in Qatar.
Araujo preferred to undergo surgery instead of resorting to physical therapy following his meeting Monday with his coach in Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez, and the medical staff of the Catalan club, who said in a statement, “The doctor, Lasse Lempainen, will perform the surgery in Turku, Finland, under the supervision of the club’s medical staff.”
“We will issue a new medical statement as soon as the surgery is done,” he added.
Araujo will miss important matches for his team Barcelona, most notably the remainder of the group stage of the Champions League and the “Clásico” of the Spanish League once morest Real Madrid, the defending champion, on October 16.
Araujo recently signed a new contract that keeps him in Barcelona until 2026, and includes a penalty clause of one billion euros.
