Luis Suarez has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery on a medial meniscus knee injury and is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines, Barcelona have announced.
The club revealed on Thursday that the Uruguayan striker was to be forced under the knife.
That procedure has now been carried out, allowing the Blaugrana to put a timescale on his recovery.
Suarez is set to sit out the remaining La Liga fixtures for the 2018-19 champions, while he will also be absent for a Copa del Rey final clash with Valencia on May 25 – when Ernesto Valverde’s side will be looking to complete a domestic double.
A statement released on Barca’s official website read: “The first team player Luis Suárez has a medial meniscus injury in his right knee and has been operated on by Dr.Cugat, undergoing arthroscopic surgery under the supervision of the Club’s medical staff.
“The Uruguayan will be out for around four to six weeks.
“As such, the FC Barcelona striker will miss the three remaining fixtures this season, the league games against Getafe and Eibar and the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on 25 May in Seville.”
The news will also concern Uruguay ahead of their Copa America campaign this summer.
La Celeste face Ecuador in their opening game of that tournament on June 16.
Suarez did not represent his nation in the last edition of the South American showpiece, in which they were eliminated by Venezuela in the group stages.
He has scored 25 goals in all competitions this season for the Blaugrana.
The Copa del Rey final represents Barcelona’s chance to claim the domestic double for the second consecutive season, which would be just the fourth time a team has done so in back-to-back years.
Suarez’s team sealed the Liga title on April 27 defeating Levante and securing top spot with three games to play.
Were they to triumph at the end of the month it would be Barcelona’s ninth double, and a victory would mean they would be the first team ever to win five straight Copa del Rey titles.
The Catalan giants looked well set to claim a treble, including the Champions League, but were eliminated by Liverpool in staggering fashion at the semi-final stage, letting a 3-0 advantage from the first leg slip when losing 4-0 at Anfield on Tuesday.
Suarez played all 90 minutes of that game, but will play no part in the pursuit of more silverware.
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