Although Barcelona will be disappointed to have entered the international break with a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad, the hiatus will hand some much-needed respite for Hansi Flick.
The German will have time to work closely with some of the lesser-used players in the team. More importantly, the break will hand injured players more time to recover from their knocks.
Gavi is an excellent case in point. The Barcelona midfielder is expected to use this period to recover to full fitness and feature more prominently after the break.
Ferran Torres closing in on full fitness
However, Gavi is not the only player who is going to benefit from the international break this month.
According to SPORT, another injured player Ferran Torres is closing in on full fitness and may soon return to the pitch.
The former Man City attacker has played in eight matches this season, but his progress has been stifled by injuries, with the forward currently nursing a hamstring injury.
However, Ferran has reached the final stage of his recovery and could utilise the international break to speed up his progress.
When will Ferran be available?
As per the initial prognosis, Ferran, in the worst-case scenario, would require eight more weeks to return to full fitness. Of that, he has now completed 48 days.
This means the Spaniard may miss upcoming classes against Celta Vigo, Las Palmas, Brest and Mallorca. But this is the worst-case scenario.
Flick, for his part, will be hoping to have Ferran available as soon as Barcelona resume their campaign, though that is very unlikely.
Ferran’s return could serve as a massive boost for Barcelona, especially with Ansu Fati picking up a fresh injury that will keep him out for a month.
