Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Spain international Marc Bartra said Wednesday he is recovering well after a successful wrist operation following the explosives attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus.

“As you can see I am doing much better,” he posted on Instagram with a picture taken in hospital showing his right arm in a cast and giving a thumbs up with his left.

“Thank you everybody for all your support and your messages.

“All my strength to my team-mates, supporters and fans and to @BVB09 (Borussia Dortmund) for tonight’s match!”

The 26-year-old centre-back was hit by flying glass after three explosions shattered windows on the Dortmund team bus en route to Signal Iduna Park for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final, first-leg.

The match has been postponed until Wednesday at 1845 (1645 GMT), which Barta sits out, and German daily Bild claim he will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

The player’s father — Jose Bartra — says his son expects to leave hospital in a few days.

“We spoke yesterday after the operation and he told us he was fine,” Jose Bartra told Spanish media.

“The doctors had been through and said it was a clean break, that he didn’t have anything in his arm and that he would be in the hospital for a few days and then he would be released to go home.”

His father said Bartra is shocked by the attack.

“It’s true it was a shock… the first thing he heard was a loud bang and an explosion,” said Jose Bartra.

“Then he began to feel a pain in his head and his arm hurt a lot because he didn’t know what had happened.”

German investigators on Wednesday detained an Islamist suspect over three explosions that rocked the Dortmund bus, prosecutors said, confirming that the probe was examining a possible “terrorist link”.

The roadside blasts injured a policeman, as well as Bartra, with the bombs “containing metal pieces” detonating minutes after the team bus set off.

The blast had a radius of more than 100 metres (yards), federal prosecutors said, adding it was lucky the toll was not more severe. 

Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke says the rescheduled match on Wednesday must take place as a sign against terrorism.

“We will play not only for ourselves today. We will play for everyone… we want to show that terror and hate can never determine our actions,” said the Dortmund boss.

“And of course we play for Marc Bartra, who wants to see his team win!”