Suspense over injury sustained by Vitor Roque in Ath. Paranaense game

The suspense over the extent of Vitor Roque's injury has been extended until Friday. The centre-forward, signed by Barcelona for next year, was caught by Colombian centre-back Nico Hernandez in the ninth minute of the Ath. Paranaense-Internacional match (2-1) in the 24th round of the Brasileirao. 

Tigrinho had to leave on a stretcher and did not return to the pitch. His teammate Pablo replaced him. The young striker, 18, received first aid from the physiotherapists and the medical staff of the 'Furacao' on the pitch of the Arena da Baixada to the general concern of his team.

On the bench, ice was already applied to the ankle region as well as to the tibia and fibula. The scare, which was enormous, lasted for many, many minutes.

Roque, who was unable to put his foot on the ground, had the help of crutches to leave the pitch towards the dressing room at half-time. The medical services of the 'Furacao' ruled out any kind of test in any medical centre in Curitiba. For this reason, the future Barça man watched the second half of the game from the bench, with a much calmer countenance that conveyed confidence and security.

According to SPORT, the player will undergo imaging tests this Friday and it will be then when we will know exactly what he has: if it has all been a tremendous scare, if it is just a blow or if there is some kind of injury to the ankle and what kind of injury it is.

The footballer's camp have given this newspaper a message of calm regarding what happened in the early hours of this morning, which is keeping Barcelona fans on tenterhooks. Tigrinho is expected to join Barça next January. His signing, for 30 million euros plus variables, has generated a great deal of excitement among all Barça fans.

For his part, Wesley Carvalho, coach of Ath. Paranaense, explained at a press conference that "the medical department will evaluate the situation to know how long Vitor will need to return, but it is still very early ... but it is a blow to the ankle which, in principle, is only a sprain."