Barcelona will send midfielder Marc Casado for tests on a knee injury which club officials fear could rule him out for the remainder of the season, reports have revealed.
21-year-old Casado made his 20th La Liga start of the campaign on Sunday in Barcelona's dramatic 4-2 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid but left the field midway through the second half after injuring his knee during the early stages of the game.
Soon afterwards, SPORT revealed initial tests had revealed a torn lateral collateral ligament which could rule Casado out for over two months.
Barcelona's La Liga season concludes on 25 May against Athletic Club, just over two months after the Atletico game, so Casado's campaign could be over even if he is medically cleared to return to training before the end of the season.
More in-depth scans will be conducted on Monday to determine the full extent of Casado's injury, with his final return date to be decided by just how severe the damage is.
Casado has subsequently withdrawn from the Spain squad, replaced by Bayer Leverkusen's Aleix Garcia, but the young midfielder was not the only Barcelona star to drop out as centre-back Inigo Martinez has also left the camp.
Martinez is believed to have picked up a knock against Atletico. There are no immediate concerns of a severe injury, however.
Casado's extended absence could open the door for Gavi to see more minutes. Reports have linked the out-of-favour youngster with a move away from Catalonia this summer, but Gavi has strongly reiterated his desire to stay and reclaim his spot in Hansi Flick's starting lineup.
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