Barcelona have been hit with fresh injury concerns after winger Roony Bardghji was forced to leave training in apparent agony on Monday, with multiple reports suggesting a potentially serious knee problem that could threaten the remainder of his campaign. The 2026/27 season planning that followed his move to the Blaugrana has taken a dramatic turn, as fears are growing that the Swede may have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury similar to the one that sidelined him for most of the previous year.
According to reports cited by the club-focused outlet Barca Blaugranes, Bardghji went down during a training session after appearing to be working normally. He reportedly went down on his own and had to exit early, doing so in “a lot of pain,” raising alarms that the damage could be more than a minor knock. The same source notes that medical testing is expected soon to determine the severity and exact nature of the injury.
What makes the situation particularly worrying for Barcelona is the player’s history. Bardghji suffered a torn ACL in May 2024, an injury that kept him out for roughly 10 months while he recovered and rehabbed. That timeline matters because a recurring or similar ligament issue would not only impact his availability, but would also reshape Barcelona’s short-term depth and longer-term squad management at a time when he was already considered a player in flux.
Earlier in the preseason window, Bardghji’s status had raised questions of a different sort. He was left out of the squad that traveled to Italy for a triangular preseason tournament, as Barcelona looked at his role and fit within the group. At the same time, he was reportedly in “advanced talks” about the possibility of leaving the club in search of more regular playing time. In effect, Barcelona were already making contingency decisions around his minutes and future, and the emergence of a suspected major knee injury threatens to compress those conversations into a single, urgent medical narrative.
The immediate focus now is not speculation but diagnosis. Multiple outlets reporting on the incident indicate that Bardghji will undergo urgent tests to clarify what exactly is damaged. If the feared ligament tear is confirmed, the injury could sideline him for several months, significantly reducing the number of appearances he can realistically make upon any return to full fitness.
Forbes also described the scene in stark terms, noting that Bardghji left training “in tears” after suffering what was suspected to be a “serious knee” ligament injury, and that he would now be evaluated to determine the extent of the injury. Forbes reported that fears include an ACL tear, which could rule him out for a large portion—potentially all—of the upcoming 2026/2027 season. Even before a test result is released, that range is wide enough to force major downstream adjustments for Barcelona’s preseason and early-season selections.
Coach Hansi Flick’s broader comments about Bardghji’s situation underscore why the timing of this injury is so disruptive. As noted in the Forbes report, Bardghji was described as part of an “exit ramp” conversation alongside Marc Casado. The injury therefore changes not only his personal timetable but also the club’s transfer and squad calculus: if a player is set to be unavailable for months, it affects whether other clubs remain interested and whether Barcelona can justify potential outgoing moves.
Meanwhile, the sporting implications extend beyond Barcelona’s training ground. If Bardghji is unavailable for extended periods, Barcelona may need to rely on alternative options for wide attacking roles and bench minutes, meaning younger players and existing squad members will be asked to cover more ground than originally planned. In preseason cycles, opportunities often open up quickly when senior players miss time; a prolonged injury would accelerate that shift and increase the stakes for whoever is asked to step forward.
Barcelona will now wait for medical staff to perform the appropriate scans and clinical assessments, after which they can determine whether the injury is indeed an ACL tear, a different ligament issue, a meniscus problem, or another structural damage. Until those results arrive, the club and the player will be forced to operate in an uncertainty zone where caution is essential—particularly given the prior ACL injury that already set a precedent for the severity and recovery length.
For fans, the next update will be the medical communiqué. For the coaching staff, the next update will be the same thing—but translated into lineup planning. If the worst fears are confirmed, Barcelona will likely be dealing with a long rehabilitation process that echoes the 10-month absence from the 2024 ACL tear. If the injury proves less severe, there could be a faster return path. Either way, Monday’s moment in training has already delivered a serious setback, and Barcelona’s preseason momentum has been interrupted at precisely the wrong time.
As testing gets underway, the club will also have to address the psychological and performance challenges that often follow significant knee injuries. Bardghji’s recovery will become a focal point for Barcelona’s medical department, while his sporting situation—whether this injury ends hopes of a move or alters his future within the squad—will be revisited once his timeline is confirmed. What began as a routine training session has quickly turned into one of the most consequential injury stories in Barcelona’s camp.
Ultimately, the immediate takeaway is clear: Barcelona have a serious knee injury scare involving Roony Bardghji, with credible reports pointing to the possibility of an ACL-related problem. The severity remains unconfirmed pending medical tests, but the history of a prior ACL tear, the manner of the incident, and the emphasis on ligament fears all combine to make this a potentially season-altering development. Until the results are known, Barcelona will brace for the most difficult scenario—and prepare, as they always must, for football’s most unforgiving reality: timing can transform a plan overnight.
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