It’s almost certain that Alejandro Balde will not play again for Barcelona this season, having suffered a serious hamstring injury whilst playing against Athletic Club in January. The 20-year-old has since undergone surgery to rectify the issue, and his recovery is said to be going very well.
Despite this, Balde is unprepared to take any risks to return ahead of schedule. As per Relevo, he is projected to be back in action towards the end of May, which could see him available for the final week of La Liga, and also in time to be available for Spain at this summer’s European Championships in Germany.
Balde is aiming to return at this point, so that he can give himself the best possible chance of being selected by La Roja head coach Luis de la Fuente. However, he won’t push himself in order to do so, as he wants to protect himself against the possibility of aggravating the issue further.
Balde is certainly one of Spain’s best left-backs, but considering he won’t have played for four months upon his return, it’s hard to see him being selected by de la Fuente, especially as Spain already have the likes of Alejandro Grimaldo, Jose Gaya, Fran Garcia and more. From a Barcelona perspective, they would rather he didn’t play, and used the summer to rest up instead.
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