Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho needs surgery to mend a torn meniscus after the Brazilian limped off the pitch late in Tuesday s drab home draw with Eibar.
His loss adds to a long list of injuries including Lionel Messi with the club sixth in La Liga seven points off leaders Atletico Madrid.
"It s the meniscus in his left knee and it needs surgery, which will be carried out in the coming days," a Barcelona statement said.
Coutinho was recruited from Liverpool for £142 million pounds (157m euros) in 2018.
But Coutinho failed to replicate the success he enjoyed on Merseyside in Barcelona, where his talent has withered in Messi s shadow. He was loaned out to Bayern Munich last season but the Germans opted against signing him permanently.