Barcelona supporters are concerned after Ilkay Gundogan was forced to abandon Germany’s friendly match against France on Tuesday (12 September) due to an injury.
In the midst of the first half, the 32-year-old collapsed on his back and seemed to sustain an injury. He was unable to continue and was replaced in the 25th minute by Pascal Gross, with the Germans leading 1-0.
After watching Gundogan leave the field in tears, fans would have been even more anxious about his fitness. The amount or type of the injury has not been verified, although he clearly harmed his back.
This might be a big injury setback for Barcelona, who play Real Betis at the Spotify Camp Nou on September 16. After hearing that Gundogan had left the field with an injury, one supporter tweeted:
“This is terrible.”
Another was added:
“nahh, we can’t afford to lose him”
Here are some further tweets from X fans:
🚨| JUST IN: Ilkay Gündogan has picked up an back INJURY. He left the pitch in tears. 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/DQ9Kx7mzI2
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) September 12, 2023
Noooo
— Jide (@Nisandrolopez) September 12, 2023
international break ffs
— kay romani (@lillkaay_) September 12, 2023
Ahh shit, here we go again 😭😭
— WedriFCB (@Shirohige9932) September 12, 2023
nahh we can't afford to lose him
— Kunal (@FCB_Kunal) September 12, 2023
I knew it was coming sooner or later in the international break 🤦🏾♂️
— Dex2ro (@Dex2ro) September 12, 2023
This is bad 🤦🏾♂️
— Fekadu Faris (@FekaduFaris) September 12, 2023
Gundogan, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Manchester City this summer, has appeared in all four La Liga games this season. During that time, he has two assists and has clearly established himself as one of manager Xavi Hernandez’s most trusted players.
Due to injury, Barcelona is now missing Pedri and Ronaldo Araujo. Following their match against Real Betis, they will host Royal Antwerp in their UEFA Champions League group-stage opening on September 19th.