Lionel Messi Not Expected to Require Surgery as He Begins Recovery on Fractured Arm

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is set to miss his first Clásico against Real Madrid in 11 long years next weekend after suffering a fracture of his right arm, but Barça have at least been boosted by new the injury does not require surgery and recovery can immediately begin.

Messi was stricken midway through the first half of Saturday's clash with Sevilla. He had already assisted and scored by that point, with Barça eventually going on to win the game 4-2 to replace their Andalusian opponents at the top of La Liga.

The club confirmed soon after that Messi will be missing for around three weeks, also ruling him out of upcoming home and away games against Inter in the Champions League, but Sport quotes a world leader in elbow joints stating surgery shouldn't be needed.

"If everything goes well and FC Barcelona medical staff do not identify other injuries, and the displacement of the fracture is not excessive, it is likely that Messi returns to the playing field in a few weeks," Joaquin Sanchez Sotelo, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic, said.

"If it's a fracture of the head of the type II radius, surgery is not necessary," he added, referring to the believed location of the problem at the top of the bone.

A report from Marca explains that Messi begins his recovery on Monday after resting at home with his family the day after the Sevilla game. It is said that he does not want to rush the process and will undergo further tests in the coming weeks to assess his progress.

As things stand, his most likely return will be against Real Betis on 11 November.