Barcelona allay fears of another defender injury in aftermath of Villarreal victory | OneFootball

Barcelona are already without Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen for the foreseeable future, and there had been fears of another injury – this time, for Jules Kounde. The France international had to be taken off in the closing stages of Sunday’s victory over Villarreal, having been seen to by the club’s medical staff.

Kounde, who has once again cemented himself as Barcelona’s regular right-back after a tricky run of form, signalled to the bench his unable to continue at La Ceramica, which has led to concerns about a possible injury. However, it does appear that he will be fine to continue playing immediately after the winter break.

Image via Joan Monfort / AP

As per MD, club sources have stated that Kounde is not injured, with the likelihood being that the defender was only suffering with cramp. Hansi Flick also addressed the matter during his post-match press conference, during which he revealed that the 27-year-old has been suffering with illness in recent days.

“I think he is fine. The last 3-4 days he had problems, he was sick. I think it’s not as bad as it seemed.”

Barcelona cannot afford to lose another defensive option

The last few weeks have been difficult for Barcelona on the injury front. Dani Olmo dislocated his shoulder against Atletico Madrid, while in the more serious news, Christensen is expected to be out for at least four months after suffering a partial tear of his ACL during Saturday’s training session. The last thing Flick needs is another blow, so he will be hopeful that Kounde is fine for the trip to Espanyol in a couple of weeks’ time.

Kounde is one of the candidates to play in central defensive role if Barcelona are not able to make a signing during the winter transfer window. He joined the Catalans in 2022 as a centre-back, but due to the club’s right-back woes, he has made that position his own over the last three seasons.