Barcelona midfielder Gavi tore his anterior cruciate ligament on international duty with Spain and needs surgery, his club has confirmed.
Gavi, 19, left the pitch in tears on Sunday after landing awkwardly when jumping to control the ball.
Barca said he would have surgery on his right ACL, with a further update on the injury due in “the coming days”.
Gavi could miss the rest of the season and his chances of playing at Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympics are in doubt.
Barcelona confirmed the “complete tear of the ACL” on Monday and the recovery time for that injury can be eight to 10 months.
Gavi has played 111 games for the Catalan club, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists while he has made 27 appearances for Spain, scoring five goals.
He helped Barca to win the league title and the Spanish Super Cup last season.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente described Sunday’s 3-1 over Georgia in Valladolid as the “most bitter victory I have experienced in my life” because of Gavi’s injury after just 26 minutes.
