Barcelona's Ter Stegen to undergo surgery: It's the best decision

Marc-Andre ter Stegen will undergo surgery this week, Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.

The German goalkeeper has finally opted to undergo surgery to cure the lower back pain he has been carrying for three weeks and which has prevented him from being at Xavi's disposal.

The decision was made entirely by the former Borussia Monchengladbach stopper.

"After intensive conversations with the medical team of the Club and various supporting experts, we decided to undergo a surgical procedure," Ter Stegen confirmed on social media.

"The break obviously annoys me. It is the right and safe decision in order to come back in the best conditions for my Club @FCBarcelona and National Team @DFB_Team."

How did Ter Stegen pick up his injury?

The German goalkeeper picked up the injury while training with his national team in November. He has already missed three games against Rayo Vallecano and Atletico Madrid in LaLiga EA Sports and against Porto in the Champions League.

So far, he has undergone conservative treatment in order to try and avoid surgery, but those efforts have proven to be fruitless.

Before each game he has undergone fitness tests and has trained every day, even when the squad had a rest. Yet, the discomfort has not subsided and there has been no progress. That is why he has taken the decision to undergo surgery.

It is not clear how long he will be out for, but it could be around two months.

Whilst input from Barcelona's own medical team has been sought and evaluated, the decision to undergo surgery was taken by the keeper alone.

It is not the first time that Ter Stegen, last season's Zamora winner, has undergone surgery. In the 20-21 season, he underwent surgery on his right knee and was sidelined for three and a half months.

Who will take Ter Stegen's place in Barcelona's team?

Both Xavi and the club's technical department are comfortable with the immediate replacement for Ter Stegen being Inaki Pena.

The goalkeeper from Alicante has performed very well in the three games he's played, being one of the most outstanding and decisive players as Los Cules have gone unbeaten.