Barcelona confirm Thomas Vermaelen requires surgery; out 4-6 months

Thomas Vermaelen appears set to finish the season on the sidelines after appearing in exactly zero matches of significance for Barcelona.

The club announced Friday that Vermaelen will undergo surgery next Tuesday to repair a hamstring injury and will likely need four to six months to recover.

The club went on to say Vermaelen will travel to Finland to have the surgery on his right semitendinosus muscle performed by Dr. Sakari Orava.

Vermaelen signed with Barcelona during the summer transfer window after the Spanish club agreed to a €18.8 million deal with Arsenal.

The injury occurred during the World Cup with Belgium, with the team exploring numerous alternatives before deciding on the invasive surgery.