A headline member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona has this week linked back up with the rest of the club’s squad, for pre-season training.
The player in question? Jules Koundé.
Stopper Koundé, for his part, was afforded an extended summer vacation, owing to his efforts with France at Euro 2024.
After playing a pivotal role in Les Bleus advancing all the way to the competition’s semi-finals, the former Sevilla man was not required to travel for the opening of Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the USA.
In fact, manager Hansi Flick recently made contact with Koundé, to inform him that he was not expecting the versatile defender back in his setup for some time yet.
As alluded to above, though, Koundé, known for his remarkable work ethic, simply couldn’t stay away.
The 25-year-old, first, was spotted at Barca’s team hotel, before later linking up with his teammates at the Blaugrana’s training base in the afternoon.
It remains to be seen whether or not he is deemed fit enough to feature in this weekend’s Clásico showdown with Real Madrid.
Conor Laird | GSFN
