Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was withdrawn from the club's 4-0 win over Manchester City on Wednesday with an injury and will reportedly be out for three weeks.

The club took to Twitter to reveal the nature of the injury:

ESPN FC's Sam Marsden reported that the defender is set for three weeks on the sidelines, meaning he will miss Saturday's match with Valencia:

The Spain international is a stalwart of the Barcelona back line, and he has been a crucial figure in the club's historic success in recent years.

Initially, Pique struggled to find a spot in the side under manager Luis Enrique. But the former Manchester United man grasped his chance with distinction when it materialised and returned to the levels that had many hailing him as the best defender in the world during Pep Guardiola's spell in charge.

Pique is one of the more senior members of this Barcelona team at the age of 29, and Enrique will be expecting the defender to take even more responsibility in a squad that is rife with burgeoning young talent.

With that in mind, Blaugrana supporters across the globe will be desperate for Pique to overcome this setback and help his team to a prosperous 2016-17 season.

After all, although Barcelona are rightly lauded for their attacking qualities, the influence of their star defender will be just as important if they're to scale the heights of recent seasons once again.