During the Copa America fixture between Uruguay and Brazil, Barca had faced a massive blow. Ronald Araujo, the warrior defender at the Catalan club, faced a hamstring injury during his attempt to block Arana's cross. Araujo had to be subbed off immediately, and the star defender looked frustrated as he got an injury that finished his Copa 2024 campaign.
However, the defender didn't return to FC Barcelona for further medical tests and decided to stay with the Uruguayan group till the end of Copa America. His behavior wasn't well received as there seemed to be second thoughts on the star defender's future at the Catalan club. Reports were circulating that Barca might lay off him for his unprofessional behavior.
Araujo's injury rules him out for 4 months
Recently, evening reports suggested that the player has two options to choose from, either go for surgery, for which he will be ruled out for four months, or go for conventional methods, making him unavailable for two months. Ronald Araujo's surgery would have been the best option for his recovery, though it would cost Barca his unavailability for the next four months.
As speculations were going around, Araujo did opt for the surgery procedure. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to make the official announcement,
""Ronald Araújo, set to undergo surgery after injury with Uruguay.""Fabrizio Romano(via Twitter)
🔵🔴🇺🇾 Ronald Araújo, set to undergo surgery after injury with Uruguay.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 15, 2024
He’s back in Barcelona and ready for surgery with plan to return before 2025, could be in December.@tjuanmarti @MatteMoretto 🇺🇾 pic.twitter.com/1p5NuCInh6
His tweet read further,
""He’s back in Barcelona and ready for surgery with plan to return before 2025, could be in December.""Fabrizio Romano(via Twitter)
What Barca can do now?
Moreover, recent reports have surfaced claiming that the player's injury has ruled out the chances of his sale, during this transfer window. Araujo's unavailability for almost the first half of the 2024/25 campaign would be a major setback for FC Barcelona. The club still lacks a defender of his potential, his braveness, and his dedication to put himself on the line while defending.
In such a case, Hansi Flick's side has limited options left. There are good chances that Barca will have to start either Pau Cubarsi or Mikayil Faye. Though Mikayil Faye has been impressive in the preseason training sessions, inculcating him as a starter would take much doing. Thus, Barca would try playing Cubarsi as a starter alongside Christensen or Inigo Martinez.
Though how Flick would set up his backline is still a mystery, the German mastermind would try his best to prove his mettle by delivering for FC Barcelona.