FC Barcelona's new signing Sergio Aguero will be out of action for at least 10 weeks with a tendon injury in his right calf.
The news means that the forward probably won't be able to make his Barca debut until the start of November.
Although he only reported for training at his new club on 2 August after playing in the Copa America, Aguero was expected to play at least some part in the club's Joan Gamper pre-season game against Juventus on Sunday night.
However, the 33-year-old took no part in the match that Barca won 3-0 just hours after Lionel Messi gave an emotional press conference to explain his departure from the club.
This caused some speculation that the former Manchester City forward, who is one of Messi's best friends off the pitch, had asked to leave given that the chance to play alongside Messi was the main reason he moved to Barca this summer in the first place.
However, Barcelona explained his absence with a communique on Monday, which reads: "The tests carried out on Aguero have confirmed an injury in the internal tendon on his right leg. He will be out of action for around ten weeks."
With Ansu Fati still recovering from the knee operation he had last year and Messi gone, that means Barca coach Ronald Koeman has Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Antoine Griezmann as the only available forwards in the first-team squad for at least the first three games of the new season.
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