Madrid, Nov 20 (IANS): FC Barcelona have confirmed the worst fears over the knee injury suffered by 19-year-old midfielder Gavi who played for Spain against Georgia on Sunday night.

The midfielder was caught in a challenge in the 21st minute of the match and tried to continue after treatment, but within seconds of his return, he pulled up in obvious pain.

The Spain medical team informed they were "pessimistic" over the injury and the player arrived back in Barcelona on crutches in the early hours of Monday morning, ahead of tests carried out by the club's medical staff, which revealed the full extent of his injury, reports Xinhua.

"Tests carried out on Monday morning on the first team player Gavi have shown that he has a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and an associated injury to the lateral meniscus. The player will have surgery in the coming days after which a new medical update will be released," informed the Barcelona website.

Gavi will miss the rest of the season, next summer's European Championships and is a major doubt for the Paris Olympics.

His loss is a major blow for FC Barcelona and the club will now almost certainly look to sign a replacement in January.