SPORT confidential: Rafinha running out of time

SPORT confidential: Rafinha running out of time

Rafinha sigue con su recuperación
Rafinha sigue con su recuperación | sport

The player has now been out for longer than the expected four months and it could still be a while before he is fit again

The midfielder is still only training in the gym

With so many rumoured comings and goings this summer, one man seems to have been forgotten. We’re talking about Rafinha Alcántara, who suffered a serious, season-ending injury against Granada in April. He underwent knee surgery four days after the injury to repair the problem and the doctors said he would be out for four months.

These four months have now been and gone and we still don’t have any news. He wasn’t on the US tour. The only news we have had is a picture of him training in the gym that he posted on social media a few weeks ago.

The feeling among all parties is that the recovery has been alarmingly slow. The player is still only training in the gym and no date has been set for his return. To make matters worse, he will now have to do his own ‘pre-season’ when the time comes.

As a result, it’s hard to imagine the player being passed fit by 31 August, which is a problem for him and the club. The player was considering a move away from Barça to get first team football before the World Cup in Russia but his long-term injury has scuppered those plans. It is also clear that Luis Enrique’s departure and the number of midfielders now in the squad make his future at Barça look complicated.

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