England defender Lucy Bronze has had keyhole surgery on her knee but is expected to be fit within a month.

The right-back will miss Thursday’s return leg at the Nou Camp but manager Jonatan Giraldez said she would only be out of action for “a couple of weeks”.

Bronze said on Instagram she was in “good spirits” following the operation.

“It’s never easy being sidelined but I’m as focused as ever to work hard and return to full fitness, hopefully as soon as possible,” she added.

Barcelona boss Giraldez played down the injury after the match on Saturday, saying Bronze was “fine” despite her going down off the ball in the 66th minute.

Barca said in a tweet on Wednesday Bronze’s return to action depends on the speed of her progress during rehabilitation.

The Spanish club are, however, boosted by the return to the squad of two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas for the second leg against Chelsea.

The Spanish midfielder, 29, has been sidelined for nine months with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which saw her miss last summer’s European Championships.

The uncertainty over Bronze adds to a list of injury worries for Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman, who is already without several key players for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Captain Leah Williamson and winger Beth Mead, who was the top scorer in England’s Euros victory in 2022, are both out with ACL injuries.

There are also doubts over the availability of Chelsea forward Fran Kirby, who has been out of action since February, while Blues defender Millie Bright has been ruled out for several more weeks with a knee injury she sustained in March.

Bronze, who has had several serious knee injuries over the years and had to have an operation in the early stages of her career, played in all six of England’s games in their Euros victory.

The Lionesses’ World Cup campaign begins on 22 July when they face Haiti in Group D.