Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti ruled out with knee injury

Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has suffered a new knee injury and faces an unspecified period on the sidelines.

The Catalan giants released a statement on Friday morning to confirm the news, saying the France international has a knee injury and will follow ‘conservative treatment’ to recuperate.

The 26-year-old had been fit since the resumption of Spanish football last month, but was selected just once in five games in Quique Setien’s starting line-up – an unconvincing performance in the 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo.

The central defender is now almost certain to miss the trip to Villarreal on Sunday and could face a sustained spell on the sidelines.

Umtiti has struggled with persistent knee problems for the past 18 months, with the club alternating between treatments in order to solve the issue.

After the issued was flagged up by club doctors back in November 2018, he underwent a period of rehabilitation in Qatar, before undergoing minor surgery back in Spain.

The Blaugrana are said to have been more persistent for the defender to get full surgery on the issue, while the player instead opted to go for more conservative treatments.

The Cameroon-born defender, who has lost his place in the France international side with Clement Lenglet – his Barca teammate – often preferred in both line-ups, while Gerard Pique is still first choice central defender.

Tags Samuel Umtiti
La Liga - Club News