Barcelona suffered a double injury setback against Tottenham after both Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez were forced off with muscle problems.
The Catalan giants eventually prevailed on penalties after being held to a 2-2 draw in their International Champions Cup clash with Spurs, with Munir El Haddadi and Arthur grabbing their goals against the Premier League side.
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Aside from pre-season being crucial to help players gain full match fitness as well as building chemistry on the pitch with their teammates, Ernesto Valverde would also have been desperate to avoid seeing any of his players pick up injuries.
Unfortunately for the Barcelona coach, that didn’t happen against Tottenham as both Gomes and Suarez were forced to limp off.
According to Mundo Deportivo, both players have picked up muscle injuries, while it’s claimed that the Portuguese midfielder’s setback is far worse as he’s been tipped to spend up to two months on the sidelines.
The report adds that is a significant blow in particular given he has been linked with an exit from the Nou Camp this summer, as while he’s unlikely to now be back at full fitness until October, it remains to be seen whether or not an interested party is still willing to sign him before the deadline next month.
Although several stars who featured in the World Cup are yet to return to club duty, the last thing that Valverde needs is to see his squad numbers dwindle while on their tour as they’ll face Roma and AC Milan next week before the Spanish Super Cup clash with Sevilla on August 12.