Barcelona Defender Samuel Umtiti Suffers Calf Injury During Second Training Session Back

Barcelona have confirmed that defender Samuel Umtiti has sustained a calf injury, with no time scale given for his return to action.

The club returned to training on Friday for the first time since La Liga's season ground to a halt at the beginning of March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it has taken until just the second training session back for the first injury to be picked up.

Barcelona announced on their official club website that Umtiti suffered an injury to his right calf during Saturday's individual training session at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Barcelona's training complex.

Players had been partaking in individual training regimes in order to build their fitness levels up while maintaining social distancing.

La Liga is aiming to restart again on 20 June.

Barcelona have not disclosed how serious Umtiti's injury is, or whether he will be expected to return for La Liga's proposed kick off date.

The centre back has featured 16 times in all competitions this season prior to the suspension of football, having sustained various knee and thigh problems throughout the campaign.

Injuries have plagued Umtiti's time at Barcelona since his €25m move from Lyon in 2016.

The French international missed seven matches between September and October after suffering a foot injury, before picking up a knee problem that kept him out for a further fortnight less than a week after returning to action.

During the 2018/19 season, Umtiti was absent for 28 games over the course of five months after sustaining two separate knee injuries.

Barcelona are due to return to training once more on Monday ahead of the proposed return to action in just over a months time.

Games are due to be played on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in order to fulfil the remaining 11 league fixtures.