FC Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso is set for surgery to address issues with the lumbar region of his back, the team announced on Sunday.

The Spanish defender has been out of action for several weeks due to his injury. This season, Alonso clocked just 299 minutes on the field for Barcelona over seven appearances, with three of them from the starting lineup. Alejandro Balde from La Masia and Joao Cancelo, a summer loan signing from Manchester City, have replaced Alonso in the left-back position.

The Catalan club stated that more information about Alonso’s recovery timeline will be available following his surgery.

“Next week, Marcos Alonso is to undergo surgery on the problems in the lumbar region of his back that have kept him sidelined in recent weeks. The club will be making an announcement immediately after to report on how the operation has gone,” the statement read.

“The left-back has played seven games this season, starting four of them and totalling 301 minutes of playing time. In total, he has made 44 appearances in the Blaugrana jersey and has scored three goals,” the statement added.

Alonso’s contract with Barcelona is set to end in the summer of 2024. The team holds the right to extend it for an additional year to avoid losing him to free agency. Alonso joined Barcelona in 2022 as a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea was terminated at the end of the summer window.

During his inaugural season, Alonso participated in 37 matches for La Blaugrana and was instrumental in securing their first La Liga championship in four seasons.

Barcelona’s recent games have yielded subpar results. Out of their last five games, they secured a win in only one of them. Their most recent encounter was a club-friendly match versus Mexico’s CF America, where they suffered a 3-2 defeat on December 22.

Currently, Barcelona holds the fourth position in the La Liga standings, having picked 38 points from 18 matches, while registering 11 wins. Barcelona will return from their winter break on January 4, facing Las Palmas in La Liga.