Barcelona forward absent from group training due to muscle overload

In a bit of a concerning development, Mundo Deportivo reports that Ferran Torres did not train with the rest of the squad during FC Barcelona’s second session on Saturday at the Paju National Football Center in South Korea.

As per the report, the Spanish forward completed the morning session with the group but later trained alone on a neighbouring pitch due to a minor muscle strain in order to prevent the issue from worsening.

As things stand, Ferran has not sustained any injury, but it remains to be seen whether he will feature in Monday’s final pre-season match against Daegu FC.

There is a possibility that manager Hansi Flick will choose to manage his workload, as he previously did with Inigo Martinez and Eric Garcia – not using them in the friendly against FC Seoul.

Both defenders have since returned to full training and are available for selection for Monday’s fixture in what comes as a boost.

Ferran had a fine game against FC Seoul, scoring a second-half brace for Barcelona in their 7-3 triumph. The Spaniard is set to have a more prominent role under Flick in the upcoming season and as such, he will hope that the fitness issue he is facing is nothing major.

As for Barcelona, they held a double training session today at the Paju National Football Center, South Korea’s national team training facility.

Players and staff remained on-site between sessions to have lunch and rest. The final training session of the tour will take place on Sunday in Seoul, before the team travels to Daegu on Monday to conclude their pre-season trip.