Puyol faces eight week layoff

Tests carried out this morning confirmed Carles Puyol has a dislocated left elbow. The Club captain will undergo conservative treatment and is expected to be out for about eight weeks.

Puyol,who picked up the injury in the 76th minute of Tuesday night’s game against Benfica, flew back with the rest of the players from Portugal last night and then spent the night at the Hospital de Barcelona, before he was discharged this morning. Club President Sandro Rosell and football director Andoni Zubizarreta visited Puyol when he was in a local hospital in Portugal, where the dislocation was treated under anaesthetic, before the arm was immobilised.

Thank you message

Speaking this Wednesday morning via his Twitter account, Puyol expressed his thanks for the support he received, as well as his optimism ahead of his recovery: “we are back in Barcelona. I want to thank everyone who looked after me in Portugal. I’ll soon be back to my best again! Thank you for all your messages – a big hug to all of you”.