Barcelona's Sergio Busquets is set for a spell on the sidelines after tests on Monday confirmed that he sprained his ankle ligaments during his side's 4-0 win at Eibar at the weekend.
Busquets was carried off on a stretcher after just 10 minutes of Sunday's game at Ipurua following a challenge from Gonzalo Escalante.
A statement from the Catalan club has now revealed the nature of the injury, although the club have not put a timeframe on his recovery.
Local press reports claim he will be out of action for two weeks and he looks set to miss Thursday's Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Real Sociedad and Sunday's league trip to Real Betis.
"After the injury picked up on Sunday, Busquets has undergone tests to find out the exact extent of the problem," the statement said.
"Results on Monday confirm that he has a sprained external lateral ligament in his right ankle. The player is out and his return will depend on his recovery."
If Barca, who have a 1-0 lead from the first leg, progress to the semifinal of the Copa del Rey at the expense of La Real, Busquets might also be a major doubt for the two-legged semifinal, which takes place over the next two weeks.
However, Luis Enrique, as well as being relieved that the injury as not as serious as initially feared, is happy with the options he has in his squad to replace Busquets while he is out.
"Sergi Roberto, [Javier] Mascherano, [Ivan] Rakitic and Andre Gomes can play in that position," he said in his postgame news conference after the Eibar game. "I won't complain because I have a lot of [options]."
Busquets has started 17 of Barca's 19 league games so far this season and has played 27 of 32 games in all competitions, emphasising what a key role he plays in Luis Enrique's side.