Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the start of the La Liga season after undergoing knee surgery which will rule him out for two and a half months, the Catalan club said on Tuesday.
Ter Stegen, who had one of the worst nights of his career last Friday when Barca were trounced 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, volunteered to undergo the operation on the right patellar tendon in his right knee in order to prevent future damage.
Barca are now set to start the campaign on Sept. 12 with Brazilian keeper Neto, 31, who made five appearances in all competitions last season after joining from Valencia.
Until German Ter Stegen returns to action, Neto will face competition from 21-year-old Inaki Pena, the reserve goalkeeper who is yet to make his debut for the first team.
Barca, who are set to appoint Ronald Koeman as their new coach after sacking Quique Setien, will be trying to reclaim the Spanish title after finishing second last season to Real Madrid.
(Reporting by Richard Martin, editing by Ed Osmond)
