Barcelona midfield starlet expected to return to the squad vs Celta Vigo | OneFootball

Barcelona’s midfield took a massive hit when Marc Bernal left the field injured against Atletico Madrid, and the setback continued to affect the team in the games that followed.

After all, the youngster has established himself as a reliable cog alongside Pedri in recent months, and all signs point to him growing in importance under Hansi Flick as time goes by.

For the time being, all focus remains on his recovery from injury and subsequent return to the field which was initially expected to occur in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid.

Set to return

Now, as confirmed by Diario AS, the La Masia graduate is in the final stage of his recovery from the ankle sprain he suffered weeks ago. If everything goes to plan, a return to the field is not far off.

Flick will have a selection dilemma in midfield. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

All signs point to Bernal returning to the squad list for the game against Celta Vigo midweek which comes as a massive boost to Flick’s plans. However, it will only be confirmed after judging the player’s feelings in training this week.

Should he have any residual pain or discomfort, he will only return for the team’s game against Getafe this weekend.

With Flick now having Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc Bernal at his disposal, it will be interesting to see how he balances his resources.

After all, La Liga is the only remaining competition to fight for and he may well use the coming games to test out tactics for the upcoming season.

Bernal, for his part, will look to continue delivering his statement of intent to retain a starting position ahead of Frenkie de Jong.