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England defender Lucy Bronze has undergone keyhole knee surgery, her club Barcelona has confirmed.
Barca said Bronze will miss Thursday’s return leg and her return to action depends on her rehabilitation progress.
Manager Jonatan Giraldez said: “It’s a tiny intervention, just a couple of weeks.”
The Barcelona boss had played down the injury after the match on Saturday, saying Bronze was “fine” after she had gone down off the ball in the 66th minute.
The right-back adds to a list of injury worries for Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman, who is already without several key players for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Captain Leah Williamson and winger Beth Mead, who was the top scorer in England’s European Championship victory in 2022, are both out with anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
There are also doubts over the availability of Chelsea forward Fran Kirby, who has been out of action since February, while Blues defender Millie Bright has been ruled out for several more weeks with a knee injury she sustained in March.
Bronze, who has had several serious knee injuries over the years and had to have an operation in the early stages of her career, played in all six of England’s games in their Euros victory.
The Lionesses’ World Cup campaign begins on 22 July when they face Haiti in Group D.
