Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen appears to be in the final stages of his recovery, after tearing ligaments in his knee back in September. After an operation and six months of rehabilitation, ter Stegen recently returned to training with the rest of the team, and now the question has arisen as to whether he will play again this summer.
The 32-year-old is the club captain, and for some time has been the undisputed number one, but after a lengthy injury, and with Barcelona in the heat of the title race, the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League, understandably there are doubts over whether it is an opportune moment to change goalkeepers. In addition, Barcelona are yet to taste defeat with Wojciech Szczesny, his injury replacement signing. The Polish veteran has performed well after a shaky start.
“Only one goalkeeper can play,” ter Stegen told Sport with a laugh at the ‘Gentleman’s day’ award ceremony. He went on to say that he would speak with manager Hansi Flick about a potential return.
“It’s not the right time to talk about these things. I just hope the team continues on the same path and qualifies for the [Champions League] semifinals. There are very few games left in very few days. We’re all hoping for success to come. Now it’s time to finish the recovery and get back into the group dynamic. It’s about feelings. If I’m okay, I’ll talk to [Flick] about it and we’ll decide what’s best for everyone.”
Ferran Torres is expected to start tomorrow. @Luis_F_Rojo, @crisnamo
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 4, 2025
Prior to that, ter Stegen also had kind words for his competition, Szczesny.
“He’s performing very well; he has personality and experience. As a person, he helps the kids a lot on a daily basis. We get along very well, even before he signed with Barca. We’re at a very good level, and he instills a lot of calm, and we hope he continues like this.”
Ter Stegen is on course to get the green light from the medical staff before the end of April, presumably after the Copa del Rey final. Previous reports have stated that Flick intends to maintain Szczesny in goal for the rest of the season while titles are on the line, although ter Stegen could get the chance to return to the pitch at some point.
