Barcelona did not say how long Ter Stegen will be sidelined, but the player had said the recovery time would be about three months.

Ter Stegen needed the operation to address persistent lower back problems.

The 33-year-old German missed nearly all of last season because of a tendon rupture in his knee, and in 2023 he missed about two months because of another back operation.

Barcelona added Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García to its squad last month. Iñaki Peña was the team’s reserve goalkeeper last season. AP KHS KHS