Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho will return to his native Brazil for further treatment for a knee injury that has kept him out of action in early January.
It was recently reported that Coutinho underwent a second operation on his knee injury in February amid concerns that the first operation had not had the desired effect, and it was believed that he was on the right track after the operation.
Coutinho has undergone surgery on Alex Caparros / Getty Images knee
However, this does not seem to be the case, as Barcelona have confirmed on their official website that Coutinho is flying to Brazil for some extra treatment to try to speed up his recovery.
Marca notes that Coutinho has complained of knee pain which should have subsided at this point in his recovery.
This report says that Coutinho did not actually go under the knife for the second time, but he was recently in Qatar working with a specialist to try to get things back on track, and it has been recommended that Coutinho visit another facility in Brazil for more help. .
Coutinho’s season may be over | Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Coutinho was originally expected back in April but has since seen return dates postponed to the end of May, and it is believed that the 28-year-old will be lucky enough to play for Barcelona again this season – or ever.
Club officials are perceived to be keen to download both Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann this summer in an attempt to cut costs, so it is quite possible that we have seen the last of Coutinho in a Barcelona shirt.
Griezmann was also able to leave the club Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Alongside Coutinho, teenage wing Ansu Fati is also facing his own tumultuous recovery from a knee injury.
The 18-year-old faces the prospect of a third operation to completely remove the meniscus from the knee, but given the long-term complications that such a procedure can lead to, he does everything he can to avoid it.
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