"He has already done training" – Hansi Flick provides positive update on injured Barcelona star

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has offered a positive injury update on Blaugrana goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, claiming the German is progressing well in light training.

Ter Stegen, 32, sustained a rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee during his side's 5-1 La Liga victory at Villarreal in September past year. He is expected to be out for the rest of the ongoing 2024-25 season.

Ahead of Barcelona's league clash at Sevilla this Sunday, Flick was asked to shed light on his captain's ongoing rehabilitation process. The ex-Bayern Munich manager replied (h/t Barca Blaugranes):

"He has already done training with [Jose] de la Fuente, the goalkeeping coach, and the truth is that he is doing very well, he has also improved a lot on a physical level. The truth is that it is going very well."

Sharing additional information on Ter Stegen's recovery, Flick added:

"This is private information between the player, coaching staff and the doctors. It is an issue that is talked about internally and should not come up. We are very happy with how everything is going and we hope that everything remains the same."

In Ter Stegen's absence, Inaki Pena has registered six clean sheets in 22 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona this season. Wojciech Szczesny has kept four shutouts in eight total games this term.

Ter Stegen, on the other hand, made seven appearances across all competitions for his club this season prior to his long-term injury. He registered just one clean sheet in seven matches across competitions.

Hansi Flick opines on Barcelona ace's fitness

At a pre-game press conference, Hansi Flick was asked to provide his thoughts on his squad and whether Ansu Fati is in contention to feature in the clash at Sevilla. He replied (h/t Barca Universal):

"Every player, except the injured ones, [are available for selection]. We're down to 21 players and Ansu Fati is doing very well. He's improving and that's what we want. He's on the right track, but we have to see what happens tomorrow, what the options are."

Fati, 22, has started only one of his eight total appearances for Barcelona this campaign. The versatile attacker has yet to register a goal involvement in 186 minutes and has suffered two injuries so far this term.

According to AS, Barcelona are pushing Fati to seal a temporary switch to a Turkish outfit this month. While Besiktas are in the pole position to sign the star, Fenerbahce are also interested in snapping up the ace.