Barcelona's Rafinha set for longer spell out after further surgery on knee
ESPN FC's Barcelona correspondent Samuel Marsden checks in from the Camp Nou after the club decided to play behind closed doors amid political tension in Catalonia.
Barcelona midfielder Rafinha's return to action has been further delayed after he was forced to undergo a second operation over the weekend.
Rafinha, 24, has been out of action since April when he damaged the meniscus in his right knee in Barca's La Liga win against Granada.
After undergoing a successful operation at the time, the Brazil international was expected to be back within five months.
However, concerns had grown in recent weeks after he was unable to return to training as planned in September and the idea of a second operation was put forward by the club's medical team.
Barca have now confirmed that surgery took place on Sunday, saying that Rafinha "underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee."
Rafinha has now been out of action for almost six months.
The club have not put a timescale on when he will be able to play again.
Meanwhile, Barca are hopeful that captain Andres Iniesta will be fit for their first-ever trip to Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano after the international break on Oct. 14.
Iniesta was taken off during the 3-0 win against Las Palmas with a hamstring strain, but is expected to be back within 10 days.
The midfielder will miss Spain's World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Israel this week, though. Las Palmas' Jonathan Viera has been called up to take his place in the squad, while coach Julen Lopetegui has also added Alvaro Odriozola and Aritz Aduriz in place of injured duo Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Morata.
Samuel Marsden covers Barcelona for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @SamuelMarsden.
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Source: espn.co.uk
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