Alejandro Balde was one of the standout players for FC Barcelona last season, as he claimed a starting spot on the left-back side, relegating Jordi Alba to the bench for good. However, the end of the season was not the most auspicious for the fullback.
Balde suffered an injury in the 2nd last league match of the season after a horror tackle from Amath Ndiaye. This tackle and the ensuing injury caused Balde to miss two months of football action. While FC Barcelona did not suffer much from his absence as they had already won the league, and the season was ending, Balde himself was significantly affected.
Due to this injury, his pre-season plans were significantly altered, as he focused mainly on recovering from this injury. However, now SPORT reports that his recovery is going exactly as planned, and the player is meeting the deadlines in this regard. The club has already uploaded videos of him playing with the ball, but he will not be rushed back in the pre-season tour of the USA.
Right now, the club expects the left-back to be 100% ready for action at the beginning of August. On 8th August, Barcelona will be facing Tottenham for the Joan Gamper trophy, and the league will start on 13th August with a match against Getafe. The club expects Balde to be ready for these matches.
SPORT also talked to his main carer, Dr. Bayo, in regard to his injury, and the specialist commented that the player would need some extra time after the recovery of his ligament for 100% fitness. Individuals generally recover from these injuries in 7-8 weeks, but as Balde would be involved in heavy physical activity, he would need some extra time.
Thus, Balde is nearing a full recovery from his injury and will be looking to build upon the good form he showed last season. While his participation in the pre-season would have been ideal, the news of him getting ready for the first league game is still positive for Xavi.
