Why Barcelona star did not play in pre-season opener | OneFootball

An explanation for the complete absence of Barcelona star Marc Bernal from the club’s opening fixture of pre-season has come to the fore online.

This comes amid the understanding that the midfielder is dealing with a minor fitness problem.

Youngster Bernal has seen his name catapulted into the headlines in Catalunya’s capital across the week to date. After word was forthcoming that Frenkie de Jong is preparing for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, the 19-year-old has been widely tipped to take his place in Barcelona’s starting XI for the opening months of the new campaign.

Many, in turn, were eager to catch a glimpse of Bernal in action in the Blaugrana’s friendly clash with minnows CE Europa on Friday evening.

The Spaniard’s complete absence therefore came as both a disappointment and a surprise. As alluded to above, though, an explanation for as much has since come to the fore online.

The info comes courtesy of Mundo Deportivo, who report that:

‘Marc Bernal was one of those who didn’t get any playing time due to a minor muscle strain.’

Conor Laird – GSFN