Barcelona's Gavi sidelined up to 5 months after knee surgery

Barcelona midfielder Gavi is set to miss up to five months after undergoing surgery on a knee injury, the club said Tuesday.

"Gavi has had an arthroscopy to resolve a medial meniscus injury, which was sutured to preserve the meniscus. Recovery time is estimated at around 4-5 months," said Barcelona in a statement.

The 21-year-old Spain international suffered a torn cruciate ligament in 2023 in the same knee.

Gavi has not played since August, with Barcelona initially hoping conservative treatment would resolve the problem, without needing to resort to surgery.

Barca travel to face Real Oviedo on Thursday in La Liga before welcoming Real Sociedad on Sunday, and then hosting Paris Saint-Germain next week in the Champions League.

Gavi is not set to return until early 2026, a year in which Spain are likely to be among the favourites to win the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.