Barcelona defender set for surgery after injury on international duty
Spain were up against the hosts Slovakia on Wednesday, and after going 2-0 up in the opening 20 minutes, were forced to find a late winner through Cesar Tarrega after Slovakia had mounted a second-half comeback. La Rojita will face Italy and Romania in their remaining group games.
Gerard Martin set for surgery
Barcelona have two players with Spain at the tournament, with Gerard Martin and Pablo Torre both starting. Both were performing well, but would not make it to the end of the match due to injury, with Martin coming off at half-time, and Torre taken off 13 minutes into the second half.
Image via Sport.
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Martin had suffered a hand injury, and Jijantes report that he has suffered a break. The 23-year-old has flown back to Barcelona to undergo surgery – it is not yet clear how long he will be out for. The fact that he has left the Spain camp for surgery suggests his tournament with the under-21 side could be over though.
Meanwhile Torre came off with muscle discomfort, and so far there has been no update on his injury either.
Doubts about future
Martin enjoyed a decent debut campaign for Barcelona under Hansi Flick, and was set to be Alejandro Balde's alternative next year too. Yet following interest from the Premier League, with three teams looking at him, it has emerged that the Blaugrana would be willing to cash in on Martin. The asking price is reportedly €12m.
As a result, Barcelona are now on the lookout for potential left-back opportunities on the transfer market, should an offer for Martin arrive. Bayer Leverkusen's Alejandro Grimaldo has voiced a desire to return to the Blaugrana.
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