Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb will be out of action for one month after injuring his ankle in the club's home match against Racing Santander on Saturday, the club has announced.

Hleb, who only joined from English club Arsenal during the summer, twisted his ankle in the first half of the match against Racing Santander, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Belarusian was taken off the pitch at the CampNou stadium on a stretcher after just 38 minutes of the game following a tackle from Racing defender Pablo Pinillos.

The club website has issued a statement after the match to confirm the extent of Hleb's injury.

"He has suffered a second to third degree twist on his left ankle, but the medical staff have not detected any damage to the player's bones," informed the club.

In the game itself, Barca struggled to break through a tight defense from the visitors and although they took the lead through a Leo Messi penalty after 71 minutes, Racing equalized through Jonathan Pereira six minutes later with what was virtually their only shot of the match.

Source: Xinhua