[Saba Sports News] According to Spanish media reports, Barcelona defender Álex Balde has endured a rocky start to pre-season after being hampered by pubalgia, ruling him out of group training sessions. Reports state that troubled by pubalgia, the Barcelona full-back has been forced to separate from the first-team squad and carry out individual rehabilitation workouts in the gym. In fact, he has undergone treatment for nearly a week to ease discomfort around his pubic region, which explains why he has been unable to train alongside his teammates. Nevertheless, there is no sense of alarm inside Barcelona. The club’s medical team are working tirelessly to get Balde back to full fitness in time for the La Liga opener. As planned, Balde will travel with the squad to England on local time Monday. If his recovery progresses smoothly, he could even feature in the friendly fixture against Birmingham City.
Even so, Balde’s past injury record remains a cause for concern. Notably, he was sidelined for more than two months last season due to two separate hamstring injuries. The prolonged lay-off not only cost him his starting spot at left-back, but also allowed loanee João Cancelo to establish himself in the side and earn the trust of head coach Hans-Dieter Flick for the remainder of the campaign. It is worth mentioning that Flick now has the majority of his first-team squad available for selection, while several youth-team players have also been promoted to train with the senior team during pre-season preparations.