It’s been a struggle for Ivan Rakitic so far this season, and the Barcelona ace has reportedly suffered a setback due to injury this week.
The 31-year-old has been limited to 10 appearances across all competitions so far this campaign, with the majority of those coming off the bench while he has failed to feature in the last two La Liga games altogether.
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Having seemingly fallen down the pecking order under Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, the last thing Rakitic needed was to be sidelined by injury to further dent his hopes of forcing his way back into the starting line-up.
Unfortunately for him, that’s exactly what he has sustained, as Mundo Deportivo report that he picked up an Achilles tendon issue in training with Barcelona on the eve of the international break.
It’s added that although the midfield stalwart will travel to Croatia this week, he isn’t expected to feature for his national team as he needs at least a week’s worth of rest to allow the injury blow to heal.
That will of course also be a blow for Croatia given the experience and quality that he can still offer them, and so time will tell how they cope in his absence.
Nevertheless, it’s Rakitic’s struggles with Barcelona which are seemingly at risk of worsening as a result of this latest setback if he needs time to regain his fitness after the break concludes to put himself in contention for the Catalan giants.
The former Sevilla ace has made over 50 appearances for the reigning La Liga champions in every campaign he’s been with them since arriving in 2014, but that streak looks in danger of ending this year as he continues to encounter setbacks in his bid to remain an integral part of the starting XI under Valverde.
