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Barcelona will be without Aleix Vidal for the rest of the season after he was forced off with a dislocated ankle during their 6-0 win against Alaves on Saturday Vidal, who had set up the opening goal for Luis Suarez, was carried off on a stretcher in the final five minutes of the game after a challenge from Theo Hernandez left him in pain at Mendizorroza. Television replays revealed his ankle had been quite seriously bent out of place and he was transferred to a hospital in Vitoria. Following the match, a statement from Barcelona confirmed the worst-case scenario, with Vidal set to miss five months, effectively ending his season. "I'm devastated about Aleix's injury, how it happened and what it means for him and the team," Barca coach Luis Enrique said before the extent of the injury was known. "To see a serious injury for a player is unpleasant for everyone. We have to think about lifting his mood. "Hopefully he will be back as soon as possible. He's in the best hands. It's still early [to say]. He'd just left with the doctors when we entered the dressing room. We have to wait, but it looks as if it's serious." The injury comes on the back of a string of impressive performances from Vidal after he broke back into his manager's plans following a period of being out of favour. Ivan Rakitic was close to him when he picked up the injury and revealed he was shocked with what he saw. "I hope it's not the worst-case scenario, but the truth is that when I saw it I was quite scared," he told Movistar after the game. "At first glance, being honest, it looked like a really ugly injury." There was much more positive news on the pitch as two goals from Suarez, one each for Rakitic, Lionel Messi and Neymar and an Alexis Ruano goal eased Barca to a huge win. And with the scoring completed before the 70th minute, Barca were able to take their foot off the gas in preparation for Tuesday's Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain. "In a game like this you need to be in control and we were able to do so," Luis Enrique said. "We managed to control the game both when we had the ball and when we lost it as we closed them down well. "Today we played at the level I demand. We created space well and, when they changed formation in the second half, they kept pressing high up the pitch which allowed us to create space. "The last hour of the match was unnecessary, for both teams."
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