No way for Sergi Roberto to be at the World Cup

Sergi Roberto will not be able to play at the Qatar World Cup with Spain. His dislocated shoulder in the game against Athletic Bilbao has made it too much of an ask. The Barcelona medical team already feared the worst, but after properly diagnosing the injury, they have been able to confirm that he will be out for between five and six weeks.

The programme 'Que T'hi Jugues' first published the news, with the 'Sport' confirming it. As Luis Enrique's squad list will be released at the start of November, it will not give the versatile player enough time if he were to be called up. Therefore the Spain boss will have to focus on the rest of his options.

Sergi Roberto was part of the squad which was got to the Nations League final last year. He played in the semi-final as a wake-up call, even though he did not make the cut for the final against France. Just as he was in the 6-0 against Germany, as well as in the group game against Switzerland, he was in the starting-11.

For Xavi, this injury is another one to add to the already compromised defence that he has to work out. In the last few weeks, he has had to resort to secondary players to cover for the mounting injuries. With this new injury, he has also lost a player that he always uses as his joker card.