According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, all four of Barcelona’s injured players are close to a return to fitness. The aforementioned list includes Alejandro Balde, Pedri Gonzalez, Ronald Araujo, and new signing Inigo Martinez.
The most serious of the four cases was that of Barcelona’s breakthrough left-back who enjoyed a stunning campaign last season. Balde suffered a traumatic rupture of the left collateral ligament of his right ankle in the penultimate league game and was expected to be out for at least six weeks.
It appears that the setback has not weakened the La Masia prodigy’s drive to succeed, for he has cut short his vacations to boost his recovery. The Golden Boy nominee has been training at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper all week and is pushing to return for pre-season.
The other player to be working at the club facilities is Inigo Martinez. The Spanish defender’s signing was announced only this week and he is wasting any time in returning to complete fitness. After all, he has been out of action since he suffered a sural triceps injury in mid-April.
The injuries of Pedri and Araujo, meanwhile, were relatively minor. They did not participate in Barcelona’s final games of the season once the title was in the bag, presumably to enable a complete recovery following premature returns to the team.
Both players have boosted their recovery while on holiday with regular fitness training and gym sessions and should be ready to feature on the team’s USA tour.
The Catalans return to training on Monday as they look toward a season with higher expectations than ever. With Ilkay Gundogan and Martinez joining the setup and the likes of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba no longer around, the dressing room will have a different feel to it.
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