Barcelona midfielder withdraws from international duty through injury

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez has returned to the club after picking up an injury on international duty.

The 21-year-old missed pre-season due to his involvement in this summer's Olympic Games and has not yet started a match under Hansi Flick, coming off the bench in each of the last three games for a total of 57 minutes.

Fermin was named in the Spain Under-21 squad for the September break, but the Spanish Football Federation confirmed on Tuesday that a muscle injury had forced him to withdraw.

He has been replaced in the team by fellow Barcelona youngster Pablo Torre.

Reports state Fermin has suffered a muscle tear which could keep him sidelined for around four weeks. Formal scans will be performed back in Barcelona before a final diagnosis, with a serious injury potentially costing Fermin a number of months.

Midfield has proven to be a tricky area of the pitch for manager Hansi Flick, who saw Marc Bernal ruled out with an ACL injury. The youngster joins Gavi and Frenkie de Jong on the sidelines.

Pedri and Marc Casado are likely to be Flick's preferred midfield duo while Fermin is sidelined, with Torre and the attack-minded Dani Olmo the only other senior options available as it stands.

Barcelona travel to face Girona on September 15 and begin their Champions League campain away to Monaco four days later. Flick will be keen to recover as many big names as possible before a run of fixtures which will see Barcelona face Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the space of three days late in October.

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