FC Barcelona announced on Monday that one of its promising players will be sidelined for six weeks due to an injury.
In a statement on its "Barça Atlètic" team account, Barcelona said: "Barça Atlètic player Ebrima Tunkara suffered a ligament injury to his left ankle during his team's match against Vilanova last Sunday. He is expected to be out of action for six weeks."
Tunkara had been training with the reserve team on Friday, following the conclusion of his participation in the first team's pre-season. He had attracted significant attention in recent weeks after Hansi Flick gave him the opportunity to feature in three friendly matches, in addition to his appearance in the Joan Gamper Trophy wearing the Barcelona Academy shirt.
The injury comes at an inopportune time for the young talent, as the club had been counting on him to be one of the key elements in the Barça Atlètic squad this season, meaning he will miss approximately the first five matches before becoming a candidate for a return in early October.
📌 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞̀𝐝𝐢𝐜 El jugador del Barça Atlètic, Ebrima Tunkara, té una lesió lligamentosa traumàtica al turmell esquerre, que es va produir durant el partit davant el CF Vilanova d’aquest diumenge. El temps aproximat de baixa és de sis setmanes.💙❤ pic.twitter.com/hyURAfZ0kW@FCBarcelonaB
Despite his young age, Tunkara attracted Flick's attention during the pre-season, as the German coach was impressed by the player's performance in training and friendly matches, which reinforced his status as one of the top talents expected to move closer to the first team in the future.
The player had previously attracted interest from several European clubs that attempted to persuade him to leave Barcelona, but Tunkara and his entourage remained committed to the Catalan club's project, given Barcelona's conviction that he is one of the top talents capable of reaching the first team.
You can discuss topics and news in more depth on the Kooora forums