Barcelona loanee ruled out for months after surgery

Originally posted on Football Espana | By Ruairidh Barlow | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 6:08 PM ET

Elche are set to be without one of their most improved players for several months, after Hector Fort underwent surgery on his shoulder. The young Barcelona loanee had only recently broken into the starting XI under Eder Sarabia.

It was a rather unfortunate twist of fate for Fort, who scored what is probably the best goal of his career for Elche two weekends ago. Kicking off a 4-0 demolition of Rayo Vallecano in what was also Los Franjiverdes best performance of the year. Fort cut inside and out from the right side of the box, leaving several Rayo defenders in his wake, before firing high into the net beyond Augusto Batalla. Receiving a nudge from Nobel Mendy on his way past though, Fort fell awkwardly on his shoulder, and had to be taken off immediately.

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Fort out for several months

According to MD, Fort will be out of action for several months after surgery on his shoulder. It appears that his shoulder was dislocated, in which case Fort will likely be out until March or April at least. The 19-year-old has made 12 appearances for Elche this season, scoring twice and giving two assists. He was on a run of four starts in his last five La Liga games though, appearing on both the left and right sides.

Barcelona paying close attention to Fort progress

The Catalan daily say that the Blaugrana have been keeping a close eye on Fort this season, and were pleased with his progress. They feel that there is a realistic chance that he could be return from the loan spell and become part of their squad again. Hansi Flick had Fort at his disposal last season, but used him sparingly. Now with salary limit space low, and little depth at full-back, a return for Fort could make sense if Flick sees a notable improvement.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

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