Douglas Injury: Updates on Barcelona Defender's Status and Return

FC Barcelona will have to make do without right-back Douglas for the foreseeable future, as the Catalans announced on Monday that the Brazilian defender will be sidelined for three to four weeks due to an injury.

The Blaugrana informed their fans via Twitter:

The 24-year-old didn't travel with the club to face Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday, an early indication something was wrong. A regular on the Catalans' bench, it was a surprise not to see him make the trip to Galicia.

Douglas joined the club during the summer as a surprise acquisition from Sao Paulo, and according to WhoScored.com, he has made just a single La Liga start all season.

Dani Alves remains the club's designated starter at the position, while La Masia product Martin Montoya has also seen more time on the pitch in recent weeks and won't be leaving the club in January, according to El Mundo Deportivo (h/t FC Barcelona FI):

Douglas wasn't expected to feature heavily in manager Luis Enrique's plans over the coming weeks, but due to the club's transfer embargo, having solid depth remains important. A single injury could disrupt Enrique's plans, and with Douglas now unavailable as a valuable contributor off the bench, Barcelona's defensive depth is starting to look thin.