On local time September 23, Barcelona officially announced that Gavi had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 4-5 months. Spanish sports medicine expert Dr. Jordi Suros has endorsed the surgical plan proposed by Barcelona's medical team, stating that repairing the meniscus will be beneficial for extending Gavi's playing career.
In an interview with Marca, Dr. Jordi Suros, a trauma surgeon and sports medicine specialist, said, “Gavi underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. After opening the knee, the doctors determined that the optimal plan was to repair the meniscus. Considering the player is very young, this plan was a must. Because in fact, if we can preserve the meniscus, the knee will be able to support better in the long run, and the player's career lifespan will be extended accordingly.”
An alternative to meniscus repair is meniscectomy, which involves cutting out or removing the small damaged portion of the meniscus.
Dr. Suros pointed out that choosing meniscectomy would have meant a much faster recovery and would not have required such a long rehabilitation period, but it could lead to reduced support capacity of the knee in the future.
For this reason, Dr. Suros praised the decision made by Dr. Monlau and Barcelona's medical service team, who found during the surgery that the meniscus could still be saved.
Dr. Suros said, "When you perform a repair, since the meniscus is a tissue with very little blood supply, it needs more rest and a longer recovery time, which completely changes the timeline. Despite the need to get him back on the field as soon as possible, this is the best choice we can make for the player's future."
