Villa undergoes surgery - Barca ace expected to be sidelined for up to five months

David Villa: Expected to miss up to five months following successful surgery

Barcelona striker David Villa is expected to be sidelined for between four and five months after undergoing surgery on his broken shinbone.

The 30-year-old Spain international suffered the injury during the first half of Thursday's Club World Cup semi-final victory over Al-Sadd in Japan.

Barca announced Villa, who returned to Spain on Friday, was likely to be absent for up to five months, and that timescale remained the same following his operation on Monday.

Surgery

"David Villa has had his broken left tibia operated on Monday afternoon by Dr Ramon Cugat and Dr Ricard Pruna," read a club statement.

"The player will remain in hospital for three or four days and the recovery time will be between four and five months."

That means Spain's all-time record scorer is likely to miss the majority of Barca's Primera Division and UEFA Champions League campaigns but could yet be fit for Euro 2012.