Barcelona new signing dealing with slight discomfort, did not train with squad

According to a report from journalist Rut Vilar on Tot Costa, Barcelona new signing Inigo Martinez is still dealing with slight discomfort in his right leg as a result of which he has not been training with the entire group in pre-season.

Barça signed Martinez on a free transfer earlier this month, with the 32-year-old arriving after his contract with Athletic Club ran down. The left-footed centre-back has signed a two-year deal until 2025 with the La Liga champions.

Just a little over a week since his arrival, Martinez has already joined the pre-season camp which began on Monday.

And while he might have shown up at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva complex, Martinez has not been training with the entire group and has been doing individual work.

This is because the Spanish international is dealing with slight discomfort from an injury he sustained in the latter part of the 2022/23 campaign.

Martinez picked up a calf issue in April earlier this year and went on to miss Athletic Club’s last eight matches of the last season. And the 32-year-old has not yet completely recovered from the issue and has not trained with the rest of the Barça squad as a result thus far.

While Martinez is a good addition given his experience and leadership, his fitness record does raise some red flags. The veteran defender missed as many as 22 matches across all competitions for Athletic last season.

Barça will be hoping that the injury problems will be a thing of the past. The new signing will be officially presented as a Barcelona player later this week on Thursday.