Koundé remains unavailable, ankle injury delays him further at Barça
Days and weeks have been piling up since French defender Jules Koundé of FC Barcelona hasn't played football. His last match was on October 17, in a La Liga game won against Real Betis (2‑5).
Ankle injury and extension
An ankle sprain is preventing him from returning. His period of unavailability is longer than initially expected. Hansi Flick confirmed it on Saturday.
On the eve of the trip to Madrid for the clash against Atlético, the blaugrana coach took stock of his condition. “We were hoping he could return sooner but we need to take care of him. We’ll see how it develops day by day.” “It’s taking a bit longer than expected. We hope to see him again after the international break.”
Jules Koundé will therefore spend the window recovering, having not been called up by Zinédine Zidane for France, nor in September. Whether for the national team or with FC Barcelona, Jules Koundé’s situation raises questions, as he is no longer an undisputed starter and has been left out by the manager. Since the start of the season, the former Girondins de Bordeaux player has featured in eight matches, across all competitions, for a total of 458 minutes of play.