Barcelona suffered a blow on the personnel front late on Tuesday after it was revealed that young midfielder Marc Bernal is expected to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. However, for coach Hansi Flick, defence is his biggest concern.

Having to say goodbye to the season early is a pity for emerging talent Marc Bernal.

Barca came from behind to beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 to become the only team still unbeaten in their first three La Liga games of the new season. However, their joy was cut short by a serious injury to 17-year-old midfielder Marc Bernal. The talent was forced off the pitch after a collision with Rayo’s Isi Palazon in the final minutes of Tuesday’s game. The 17-year-old was helped off the Vallecas pitch by the club’s medical team, unable to even put any weight on his left leg as he walked down the tunnel.

Barca have yet to make an official announcement, but inside sources say Bernal has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, a very serious injury that could keep the player out for at least six months. This is certainly a huge loss as Bernal has won the full trust of coach Hansi Flick, starting all three La Liga matches and playing very well in the midfield role.

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Coach Hansi Flick’s biggest concern is the defense, especially the center-back position.

However, with Pedri back and Gavi and Frenkie de Jong also nearing the point of being ready after injury, along with young talent Marc Casade, coach Flick is not too worried about the position to replace Marc Bernal. Instead, according to Marca, the new German coach’s biggest concern is the team’s defense, especially the center-back position when Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen are both out long-term due to injury, while Eric Garcia is currently absent due to plantar fasciitis. A very clear warning, although Barca are winning all 3 matches, they have conceded in all 3 matches with the same score of 2-1, with 2 comebacks.

So Flick is pushing to sign a new centre-back in the final days of the transfer window. Targets such as Mario Hermoso, Jonathan Tah and Cristhian Mosquera are said to be strong, but how Barca can recruit and register new players into the squad is a difficult problem to solve when they have reached the limit of Financial Fair Play regulations.