Worst fears confirmed over Barrenetxea

JOSE A. DURáN
Fantasy LaLiga expert
17 MINUTES AGO / 2 min read

Real Sociedad lose Ander Barrenetxea at one of the standout moments of their season. The San Sebastian winger will have to go under the knife after suffering a serious muscle injury involving tendon damage during the match against Rayo Vallecano, a setback that threatens to keep him out of action for much of the campaign.

Real Sociedad

Ander Barrenetxea
3.880.000€+10.000€8

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The extent of the injury has proved more serious than first feared. Barrenetxea had to leave Sunday's match at Anoeta visibly distraught, in tears, shortly after setting up Óskarsson in the move that put Real Sociedad 1-0 up.

Medical tests have confirmed a severe injury to the hamstring muscles in his left thigh, with tendon involvement at the proximal end. The club has still not announced a date for the operation or set an official recovery timeframe.

Real Sociedad's medical statement Real Sociedad reads:

"Ander Barrenetxea suffered a severe injury, with tendon involvement, to the proximal hamstring muscles in his left thigh during last Sunday's Real Sociedad-Rayo Vallecano match. The player will undergo surgery on a date and at a location yet to be confirmed."

A major blow for Barrenetxea and the Spain national team

The injury comes just two days after Luis de la Fuente called up Barrenetxea for Spain's upcoming fixtures against the Czech Republic in Prague and England at the Metropolitano. The forward was in excellent form and had forced his way into the national coach's plans.

It is not the first time a serious physical problem has halted his progress. In 2022 he suffered a difficult injury to the left adductor longus, which also required surgery and ruled him out for the rest of that season. He was then among the 55 players in the preliminary World Cup list, but ultimately missed out on the final squad.

This latest injury means another lengthy spell on the sidelines for the player, who could miss much of the season because of the seriousness of the diagnosis and the need for surgery.

Until this setback, Barrenetxea had been one of the most regular players in the txuri-urdin side. He had featured in every LaLiga matchday except the fourth and played in three of their four Europa League games.

His numbers reflect the importance he had taken on: 801 minutes played, 10 starts and two goals so far this season.