There is not much time left before FC Barcelona have to kick off their pre-season. However, La Blaugrana are hoping to have as many players as possible available for it so that more profiles can be tested. For Hansi Flick, the more Barcelona players he can assess during pre-season, the better.
Yet, it is almost a guarantee that not everyone will be available for Flick during the pre-season. Some of the players will be unavailable due to their ongoing participation in EUROS and Copa America, and with the Olympic games coming after that, the participation of every player is still not a guarantee.
However, there may be some other major absences too. Gavi is already expected to be unavailable due to his ongoing recovery from his major injury, but it would now appear that another player will also not be able to make it in time due to his recovery.
As highlighted by MARCA, 20-year-old Spanish left-back Alejandro Balde is still an uncertainty for Barcelona heading into the pre-season. The fullback is reportedly still recovering gradually from the hamstring injury he suffered in January, and is yet to fully recover from it.
Barcelona are not willing to risk the health of the player and will only deploy him if the youngster is fully fit and ready to play. Even if the player ends up making it in time, Barcelona are aware that his recovery would not have been fully completed and the club will look to be extra cautious.
Even in the previous season, when Balde got injured, Barcelona decided to fill that void by using alternatives. For Xavi Hernandez, those alternatives included the likes of Joao Cancelo and Hector Fort being deployed on the left. Now, for new Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, that alternative could be someone else entirely.
It has already been heavily reported that Barcelona are willing to give a chance to Alex Valle. Following his recent loan spell at Levante, Flick hopes to count on him for the pre-season and the Barcelona coach wants to give him an opportunity to prove his worth to the club and make a place for himself right there in the first team.
