Barcelona handed boost as star man starts individual training after picking up injury while on international duty: Reports

Barcelona have been handed a major injury boost with their star midfielder Frenkie de Jong having taken his first steps back onto the training pitch. The 28-year-old suffered a gluteal injury while on international duty with the Netherlands.

According to Spanish outlet SPORT, the midfielder trained separately from the main squad under the close supervision of the Barcelona physios. He joined the session about 20 minutes later than his teammates and did not complete the entire session.

De Jong returning to light training will be a huge boost to Barca manager Hansi Flick who is eager to have him back. The Catalan giants are understood to handle de Jong's situation carefully to avoid any setbacks.

The Blaugrana already have a pretty big injury list with the likes of Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal out. Frenkie de Jong is a key player for Hansi Flick as he looks to defend the Blaugrana's LaLiga title.

De Jong has been an important player for Barcelona since joining the club in 2019 from Ajax in a deal worth reported €75 million. He has made 261 appearances for the club till date scoring 19 times while providing 23 assists. He has won six major trophies during his time at Camp Nou, including two LaLiga titles.

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Hansi Flick considers four Barcelona stars untouchable this season: Reports

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick reportedly views four players as untouchables this season. As reported by AS, the Blaugrana manager sees Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pedri and Lamine Yamal as his most important players.

Flick reportedly wants to use the aforementioned four players to be used extensively throughout the season. The German wants other players around them to be rotated more often.

Flick's decision sees Jules Kounde and Raphinha miss out despite both of them enjoying stellar seasons last time out. Joan Garcia only joined Barcelona this summer in a deal worth reported €25 million becoming the club's new number one.

Eric Garcia has been a surprise package this season and seems to have overtaken Jules Kounde in the pecking order. He started the first two games at right-back this season while impressing at centre-back in the third game.

Pedri and Lamine Yamal, on the other hand, are both considered among the best players in the world. The former is the key man in midfield while the latter is the biggest talent in world football right now.