Puyol sidelined after knee surgery
Saturday, March 16, 2013
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FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol could be out of action for up to three months after the centre-back had an operation to clean up his right knee joint.
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FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol will play no part in his side's UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain FC after the 34-year-old underwent knee surgery.
According to club doctors, the Spanish international – who has made 13 Liga appearances for Barcelona this season – first noticed discomfort in his right knee towards the end of October. He has now opted to undergo arthroscopic surgery to clean the joint.
"The time he will be sidelined will depend on the player. It could be around a month and a half to two or three months," club doctor Ramon Cugat explained, while medical colleague Ricard Pruna added: "[Carles] informed us that he could no longer play with the problem. Taking advantage of the upcoming international break we decided to act now as the player has a chance to return before the end of the season."
After their superb comeback victory against AC Milan in midweek, the four-time European champions travel to take on PSG in their quarter-final first leg on 2 April before hosting the Ligue 1 leaders at the Camp Nou eight days later.
