Marc-Andre ter Stegen puts out statement on injury – ‘Most of you don’t know me on a personal level’

On-loan Girona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is set to miss several months of action following a hamstring injury in just his second game for the Catalan side. The Barcelona club captain joined on loan until the end of the season just before the end of the transfer window.

Ter Stegen only recovered from knee surgery in December, and played for Barcelona once in the Copa del Rey before moving to Girona in January. Coming up with a major save on his debut against Getafe (1-1), ter Stegen pulled up with a problem in just his second appearance on Saturday against Real Oviedo.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen statement on surgery

The German shot-stopper put out the following statement on Thursday morning after it was announced that he would be undergoing surgery on his Instagram account.

Most of you don’t know me on a personal level, so I want to share something with you. I’m a positive person. I’ve always had this mindset and carried it with me through every challenge I’ve faced, but this one is especially tough for me. Last weekend, the worst happened: I got injured during the match. I had just arrived in Girona, where I was treated with great warmth and closeness from the very first minute. I was really looking forward to being part of the team and helping achieve our shared objective. https://www.instagram.com/p/DUXmzQVCJBd/?utm_source=ig_embed Now my role has had to change completely, but my support for the team won’t. It’s not just a great group of players and coaching staff; it feels like a family, and from the start I’ve felt their support and closeness. As athletes, our greatest joy is competing: training and playing. I have to put all of that on pause for several months, as I’ve decided to undergo surgery. I will be back.

Image via El Desmarquue / La Liga

Quique Carcel looking for Girona alternatives

Speaking about Girona’s transfer market on Thursday, Sporting Director Quique Carcel confirmed they would be looking for a free agent goalkeeper signing to replace the German. Paulo Gazzaniga is their only senior option as things stand.

“What happened with Ter Stegen is tough. You sign a goalkeeper and then he gets injured; it was a tragedy. We’re well covered with Gazzaniga and Vlad, but we have to see if we have the budget for a goalkeeper who’s currently without a club. The reality is that if the reserve team goalkeeper could play with us, we’d be much more at ease, but he’s not under 23, so we can’t do that. We’re working on this situation; we’ll see what we can do,” he told MD. “We signed Ter Stegen with all the implications- Marc is prepared to overcome this situation, but it’s been very hard for him. He’ll prepare himself to be at his best next season because I see him as a very strong person. I can only speak highly of Gazzaniga because he has had three and a half key years and his role has been fundamental. For me, he is the most important goalkeeper because he has given us so much.”

Could ter Stegen still play at the World Cup?

It is not yet clear whether ter Stegen still stands a chance of making the Germany squad for the World Cup. The 33-year-old notes that he will be out for several months – the diagnosis will be made after his surgery on Friday. If it is an absence of three months, he would potentially have a few games in the final stages of the season to prove his fitness, but Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann may consider playing him as too much of a risk at this point.