Barcelona lose Umtiti to injury on second day of training

The French center-back suffers an injury to the soleus of his right leg in the Saturday morning session and the nurse premieres after almost two months of confinement

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In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, the other great fear of the medical services of football clubs is none other than the serious risk of injury to the players after almost two months of confinement in their homes. Samuel Umtiti only needed two individual workouts to suffer a break in the sleo of his right leg. The French defender, whose estimated time of loss is three weeks, thus becoming the first Barcelona player to fall after returning to activity.

The physical trainers of Barcelona, ​​who had been satisfied with the routines carried out by the players during the time they had to exercise at home, have quickly run into the consequences. The players, who have been training in turns in three fields, have been carrying out exercises to recover the lost explosiveness. In any case, with loads still very low and avoiding risks. In fact, this Sunday the footballers will have rest and will not return to the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper until next Monday. But Umtiti has already burst.

The end of the good fortune of the French central in Barcelona is already far away. It coincided with the renewal of his contract, in June 2018, when his salary improved, he prolonged his relationship until 2023 and signed a termination clause that went from 60 million to 500 million euros. Despite knowing of his injury in the cartilage, he played six of the seven games of the World Cup in Russia. On his return to Barcelona the knee could no longer bear the effort.

Since then, his stays on the stretcher have been continuous and prolonged. In the 2018-2019 season, Umtiti only played 15 of the 60 official matches played by his team. And this course, which the central defender started with a foot injury suffered in a concentration with his team, he has only played 16 of his team's 38 official matches.

After the dismissal of Ernesto Valverde and the arrival of Quique Setin, Umtiti had returned to play highly demanding matches. He even started in the first leg of the eighth of the Champions League in San Paolo (1-1), or in the defeat of Barcelona in the last classic at Bernabu (2-0). Now it's time to stop again. While Barcelona continues to look askance at a market that does not provide solutions.