Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo has refused to commit to returning from injury in time for El Clásico next month, with the La Liga side given fresh reason to feel frustrated by the latest comments of Spain manager Luis de la Fuente.
A muscle injury was ultimately deemed to be severe enough to send Olmo back to Barcelona, with Spain’s football authorities, the RFEF, confirming Barcelona had made them aware of a fitness issue upon his arrival.
Barcelona are reported to have been left furious by the decision not to release Olmo immediately and to instead, usher him back into training, where a brief appearance on the grass ultimately saw the 27-year-old aggravate the issue.
MARCA note Olmo is already back in Barcelona for tests to determine the severity of his injury. Upon landing in Spain, the midfielder told laSexta: “We’ll see if I can play in the Clásico.”
Barcelona are due at the Santiago Bernabéu to face Real Madrid on Oct. 26, giving Olmo just two weeks to recover. AS state there are fears he could need as many as five weeks on the sidelines before being able to return.
De la Fuente Contradicts RFEF Over Olmo Claims
Tensions between Barcelona and Spain have been high since the September international window, after which Hansi Flick accused the national team of failing to protect winger Lamine Yamal. The teenager returned with a groin injury which has since sent him back to the sidelines for a second spell.
Olmo’s injury has only added fuel to the fire and De la Fuente did not help the matter in his latest update on the midfielder, in which he denied receiving a report from Barcelona upon his arrival—contradicting the RFEF’s statement.
“Dani was in perfect condition [when he arrived]; there was no medical report, and he simply had a minor discomfort,” De la Fuente claimed.
“He hadn’t trained all week, thinking his progress would be better, but eventually the discomfort worsened, and we decided, for his health and safety, that he should leave the training camp, knowing that he was unlikely to be back for Tuesday.
“If we had been certain he could be back without risk, as we always do, he would have stayed.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dani Olmo Offers Clasico Injury Hint As Spain Manager Sparks Barcelona Fury With Latest Comments.
