Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was stretchered off in the first half of Sunday's La Liga game against Villarreal with a serious-looking knee injury.

The Germany international claimed a straightforward cross in the latter stages of the first period but landed awkwardly and immediately signalled that he required treatment.

There was genuine concern on the faces of the players surrounding the goalkeeper, and he had to be stretchered off the field, with Barcelona now fearing the worst.

The Catalan outfit's head coach Hansi Flick will be questioned on the incident after the La Liga affair, which is currently 3-1 to Barcelona in the middle of the second period.

Ter Stegen suffers serious-looking knee injury against Villarreal

Inaki Pena was introduced as Ter Steven's replacement, and the stopper could now be facing a lengthy period on the sidelines.

Due to the nature of the fall, there are concerns that he has damaged his ACL, which would require an operation and force him to miss the remainder of the season.

Gavi and Marc Bernal have both recently suffered severe knee injuries for Barcelona, with the former still out with the ACL issue that he sustained on international duty for Spain towards the end of last year.

Bernal, meanwhile, damaged his ACL earlier this season, and the 17-year-old is highly unlikely to be available for selection until next season.

Will Barcelona release a statement?

Flick will undoubtedly be asked about the situation during his post-match press conference, but a full examination will be required before a club statement can arrive.

As a result, the extent of the damage is not expected to be clear until the start of next week, but the initial indications are that Barcelona's number one is facing a long period of recovery.