Luis Suarez Out for 4-6 Weeks After Knee Surgery, Will Miss Copa del Rey Final

Barcelona's Luis Suarez will miss the Copa del Rey final and is a doubt for the Copa America with Uruguay this summer after he underwent knee surgery on Thursday.

The club reported on its website that the striker will be out for between four and six weeks after having an operation to address a medial meniscus injury in his right knee.

Suarez will miss Barcelona's remaining La Liga fixtures against Getafe and Eibar, as well as the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25, leaving manager Ernesto Valverde in need of an alternative up top.

As football writer Zach Lowy noted, Suarez often suffers injuries around this time:

The tenacious Uruguayan isn't at his peak any more at 32, particularly from a physical standpoint, and he's occasionally guilty of missing simple chances a player of his calibre should score.

However, he remains a crucial match-winner for Barcelona, and aside from Lionel Messi, he their most potent weapon in the final third, having bagged 25 goals in all competitions this season.

Barca have already wrapped up the league title, but his absence from the cup final is a significant blow, especially as there is no natural back-up for him in their squad.

In his stead, Valverde could use Messi, with two of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Malcom alongside him in the front three.

Another alternative would be to use Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has been deployed as a centre-forward at times with Sassuolo and Las Palmas. But he has made just four appearances since he arrived on loan in January.

Whatever Valverde does, Suarez's injury will increase the burden on Messi, who is also the team's chief playmaker, to carry the team.

As for Uruguay, the Copa America runs from June 14 to July 7. If Suarez is not able to recover in time, it will fall to Edinson Cavani to make up for his absence as La Celeste's only other reliable source of goals.