Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen will play for another club for the first time in 12 years after completing a loan move to Girona for the remainder of the season.

The move comes at a crucial time for the 33-year-old German international, who is aiming to reclaim the No. 1 spot for Germany ahead of the upcoming World Cup after a long spell disrupted by injuries.

Ter Stegen has featured just once for Barcelona this season, appearing against third-division side Guadalajara in the Copa del Rey last month, as head coach Hansi Flick has preferred Joan García as his first-choice goalkeeper.

His loan to Girona marks another turn in a turbulent season that began with a standoff between the player and Barcelona over a medical report required by the club to create salary-cap space.

Ter Stegen joined Barcelona from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014 and has since won six La Liga titles and one Champions League trophy with the club.

At Girona, he is expected to start ahead of Argentina’s Paulo Gazzaniga.

While ter Stegen was sidelined, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann relied on Oliver Baumann, who started all of Germany’s last six matches during their successful World Cup qualification campaign. Baumann has impressed at club level, captaining Hoffenheim to third place in the Bundesliga so far this season.

Girona have already experienced World Cup-related goalkeeping issues this season. Last month, head coach Michel revealed that backup goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic had sought a move elsewhere in pursuit of regular playing time to strengthen his case for Croatia’s World Cup squad.