Barcelona hopeful Philippe Coutinho will return before end of season

Barcelona are optimistic about their possibilities of seeing midfielder Philippe Coutinho again in motion earlier than the tip of the season.

The Brazilian lately underwent a second surgical procedure on the knee damage which has saved him out since late 2020 and it was initially feared that his season, together with the 2021 Copa America, might be over.

Nonetheless, whereas membership officers are reluctant to place any kind of timeframe on Coutinho’s restoration, AS state that the final consensus is that the 28-year-old might be again in 5 or 6 weeks if all the pieces goes in accordance with plan.

Barcelona have ten video games left to play in all competitions this season, with their remaining match coming towards Eibar on Could 23, and it has not been dominated out that Coutinho might make it again in time to play some half in that fixture.

Supervisor Ronald Koeman must make a late determination over whether or not he feels the Brazilian is up to the mark at that time, significantly given there may be nonetheless a lot to play for in La Liga.

Monday’s 1-0 win over Actual Valladolid moved Barcelona one level behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, and with such nice margins, Koeman might determine it’s not within the staff’s finest curiosity to convey again Coutinho if he’s lower than 100%.

Within the meantime, Coutinho will stay in Brazil with nationwide staff physician Rodrigo Lasmar and his staff of physios, which has been taken as an indication of the midfielder’s lack of confidence in Barcelona’s medical workers.

It is value mentioning that Coutinho is not the primary Barcelona participant to show to outdoors assist for an damage this season. Teenage winger Ansu Fati is encouraging assist from anyplace and in all places after two club-recommended surgical procedures on his knee did not restore his downside.

Of the pair, it is Fati whose season appears to be in most hassle. A 3rd surgical procedure would positively rule him out, whereas there is not any assure any pure remedy can have the specified outcomes both.

The identical goes for Coutinho, though there may be not less than some confidence that his second operation has been successful. It appears to be a matter of time, though with the season slowly winding down, Coutinho might not have sufficient to get again.

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