Forgotten Premier League misfit 'offers himself' to Barcelona amid fears star's season is over
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen looks set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future after knee surgery but the Spanish giants could already have a perfect solution
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorClaudio Bravo has offered to come out of retirement to help Barcelona after Marc Andre ter Stegen's suffered a long-term injury.
The German looks set to miss the remainder of the season after picking up a serious knee injury. Barcelona captain Ter Stegen picked up the issue during the weekend’s game against Villarreal.
Following more tests, he has been diagnosed with a patella tendon injury and has subsequently undergone surgery, a club statement has confirmed. Speaking about the issue, Barca boss Hansi Flick revealed: “We are all sad, because I think the injury will be huge.”
“I’m really sad about this. At this point, we are not happy but it’s football, we have to accept this. At half-time, I said to the team, ‘come on, we play for Marc, give an extra 10 percent if possible’ and I think we had a great second half. It’s not easy, it was an accident, [but] it’s very tough”.
Barcelona now have limited options when it comes to their goalkeeping position. Inaki Pena replaced Ter Stegen and looks the most likely to claim the spot for the remainder of the campaign after making 17 appearances in all competitions last term.
20-year-old Ander Astralaga is an option but is very inexperienced having not yet made his first-team debut. Luckily, Barcelona could have former stopper Bravo to call upon if they're keen.
Bravo has offered his services to the club despite having retired following a spell back in La Liga at Real Betis. Speaking to WinWin via AS, the Chilean said: “If Barca call me, I will be prepared.”
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Now 41, Bravo enjoyed a successful first spell at the Camp Nou. After his arrival from Real Sociedad, he made 75 appearances, winning two league titles, the Champions League and two Spanish cups, among a host of other trophies. He joined Manchester City for £17m in 2016 as one of Pep Guardiola ’s first signings. Bravo soon replaced Joe Hart as the club’s number one but a number of high profile errors saw him benched.
City eventually replaced Bravo with Ederson, with the former making just 61 appearances over four years before being released in 2020. He went on to return to Spain with Real Betis, winning a further Spanish Cup with the side ahead of hanging up his gloves at the end of last season.
While Bravo has offered his services to Barcelona, the Catalans have also been linked with another retired goalkeeper. It has been suggested that they could potentially try and convince ex-Arsenal boss Wojciech Szczęsny to reverse his retirement decision.
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