Heartbreak for Barcelona: Marc Bernal has to be substituted against Rayo Vallecano due to knee injury

Barcelona won its third game in a row at the start of the new season La Liga season with a 2-1 comeback win away at Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday night, but it was not all good news for the Catalans as they may have lost one of their most promising young players to a serious injury.

Midfielder Marc Bernal started for the third consecutive game and played another excellent game. He was well on his way to leaving the game when he suffered a very serious knee injury in the 99th minute of play in a collision with Rayo midfielder Isi Palazón. Bernal was sent off almost immediately and was unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Barça had to finish the game with ten men but managed to come away with a win, but Bernal's injury could have long-term implications. The 17-year-old was the star of Barça's preseason and has earned a crucial role as a defensive midfielder in Hansi Flick's system. With injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Gavi, and potential replacements such as Andreas Christensen and Eric García, Barça now have virtually no depth in that position.

We hope that this was just a scare and that Bernal will come back sooner than expected, but anyone who has seen the pictures knows that it looked very, very bad.