Barcelona defender Aleix Vidal ruled out for the season after ankle injruy

Barcelona defender Aleix Vidal is set to be sidelined for five months after dislocating his ankle during Saturday’s LaLiga win over Alaves, the Catalan giants have announced.

The 27-year-old Spain international suffered the injury in the closing minutes of Barca’s 6-0 victory in a challenge with home defender Theo Hernandez.

He was carried off on a stretcher before being taken to hospital in Vitoria, where he underwent surgery this evening. Vidal will spend the night in hospital and is set to return to Barcelona on Sunday.

He is unlikely to play again this season, though, with treble-chasing Barca confirming in a statement that Vidal is “expected to be out for around five months.”

Barca coach Luis Enrique said before the extent of the injury was confirmed: “I am sorry for him and for the whole team. Let’s hope it’s not too serious, but it’s not going to be anything good.”