A handful of Barcelona players have suffered injuries while on international duty in recent days. The severity of injuries varies.
Some of the players have minor hits and lose minimal time. Others require surgery and could miss more than a month, perhaps raising questions about fitness for the next World Cup in November.
The list of names includes defense duo Ronald Araújo and Jules Koundé. Along with them are the Dutch Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong, as well as Ousmane Dembélé, who is often injured. In terms of duration, the most significant of the injuries is that of Ronald Araújo. According to Mundo Deportivo, Araújo chose to have surgery on his upper thigh after sustaining an injury 40 seconds into Uruguay’s loss on Friday against Iran.
Barcelona injuries in international service
The recovery time for this surgery is not clear at this time. However, there is a real possibility that he may not be healthy enough to compete in the World Cup in mid-November.
At the same time, his Barcelona teammate Jules Koundé will miss around a month with a hamstring injury. Memphis Depay, whose name is on the transfer block for the winter, is in a similar position. The Dutch striker suffered a thigh problem in the Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League match against Belgium last Friday. His recovery time should last a month.
Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araújo and Memphis Depay seem to have been injured in this international break ???? pic.twitter.com/fFOGdyxv9S
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 23, 2022
Barcelona’s last two injuries on international duty are much less serious. Frenkie de Jong’s strike could put the midfielder out of action for a week. For Dembélé, the doctors do not predict anything too important. However, he was left on the bench in France’s UEFA Nations League final against Denmark, which the French lost 2-0.
world cup year
In the 2022/23 campaign, international commitment plays a key role for European clubs. The World Cup pushed to the middle of the season compresses the schedule, forcing more players. Therefore, any injury is a major obstacle for the team.
Barcelona, ​​who got off to a good start under Xavi in ​​his first full campaign as manager, lacks great defensive depth. The losses of Koundé and Araújo for long periods of time could put tension in the campaign.
Barcelona is next in action against Mallorca after the international break. A couple of clashes in the Champions League with Inter Milan and the first Clasico of the season are just around the corner.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Jan Huebner
