More problems for Barca, key player injured

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Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti won’t play in up and coming crunch games due to a knee injury that will keep him out until well into November. The Frenchman was examined on Wednesday in Sant Joan Despi hospital and doctors have recommended his absence from the games against Sevilla, Inter and Real Madrid.

That leaves the Blaugrana with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet as the only two central defenders available for this period.

Umtiti’s treatment is based on ultrasound, interferential therapy and physiotherapy, to strengthen the muscles near the affected area.

The 24-year-old’s situation has been improved in recent days, but yet not enough to return to action.

A comeback date can’t be determined at the moment, but everything points to him being sidelined until well into the month of November.

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If this conservative treatment doesn’t stop the discomfort, Umtiti will have to be operated; something which would lengthen his recovery until the first trimester of 2019.

An arthroscopy would fix the problem in the short term, but it wouldn’t prevent its reappearance in the future.

The defender, who has already missed the team’s last three games, has dragged his injury on for a long time, having had faced discomfort all the way throughout the World Cup.

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