Espanyol defender Hector Moreno has been ruled out for six months with a broken leg injury.
The 26-year-old Mexico international suffered the injury during Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Holland in the last 16 of the World Cup, having collided with Arjen Robben shortly before the interval.
A statement on the club's website on Tuesday read: "Espanyol's medical team and Hector Moreno decided that the best option to begin his recovery from a fractured tibia is to undergo surgery.
"The defender will be operated on in Mexico, Tuesday afternoon local time, having been injured in the World Cup match which saw Mexico eliminated at the hands of Holland.
"Moreno will then begin his initial recovery in his homeland, which includes the post-operative and early rehabilitation stages.
"Later, he will return to Barcelona to fully complete the recovery process, which has been set between four and six months depending on how the treatment goes."
