Former Barcelona midfielder, Carles Perez has been hospitalised in Greece after being bitten on the genitals by a dog while walking his own dog in Thermi, a suburb of Thessaloniki, on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old was reportedly trying to separate his dog from another during an attack when he sustained the injury.

He was taken to a private hospital in Panorama with a “deep gash” that required six stitches.

Aris FC, the Greek club Perez recently joined on loan from Celta Vigo, confirmed on Wednesday that he had suffered a “soft tissue infection” from the bite.

As a result, he has been ruled out of Thursday’s UEFA Conference League qualifier against Araz-Nakhchivan.

Manager Marinos Ouzounidis confirmed that Perez had been set to start the game.

“Carles would have been in the starting line-up,” he said. “This incident happened but we can’t dwell on it any longer. My mind is working on alternative solutions and we have worked on them. That’s why I insist that it’s important to have players with personality. So I’m interested in the group of players that I will have at my disposal, to give the most they can.”

Perez made his senior debut for Barcelona in 2019 and has also played for Roma, Celta Vigo, and Getafe.