David Villa faces five-month layoff

Barcelona forward David Villa will be out for between four and five months after undergoing surgery on his broken shinbone.

The Spaniard suffered the leg injury during Barca's Club World Cup semi-final victory over Al-Sadd in Japan on Thursday.

The Catalan outfit went on to win the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Brazilian side Santos in the final.

"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."

This news means that Villa will miss the majority of Barca's remaining La Liga and Champions League campaigns, but may yet be fit for the European Championships this summer.