Barcelona suffer Villa blow
December 15, 2011 13:54:36 UK
Striker David Villa could miss the rest of the season for Barcelona after breaking his leg in the Club World Cup semi-final with Al-Sadd.
The Spain striker has recently found himself at the centre of a transfer storm following reports that manager Pep Guardiola was ready to sell the former Valencia star in January.
Guardiola dismissed the rumours as 'lies' when asked about them on Wednesday, before handing Villa a start in the clash against Qatari outfit Al-Sadd in Tokyo.
However, the 30-year-old's night ended prematurely in disaster when he had to be stretched off the field just before half-time after landing awkwardly during a 4-0 romp for Barca.
The £34million hitman could now face up to six months on the sidelines after Barcelona confirmed he had fractured his leg.
"Bad news for David Villa and Barca; the striker's left tibia is fractured," Barcelona said on their Twitter feed. "The player has been taken to the Yokohama Rosa hospital for further tests."
While Barcelona wrapped up a 4-0 win over Al Sadd to book their place in the final of the Club World Cup their main concern will be Villa.
While Villa has only managed five goals in 15 appearances in La Liga, Guardiola's comments on Wednesday indicated he was still an important member of the squad.
Barcelona are 34.00 to win the Primera Liga this season, with Real Madrid 1.005.
Spain's national side could also be affected by the injury to their all-time leading scorer.
Should Villa miss six months that leaves him with little time to be fit for the defence of their European crown at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
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