With the FIFA World Cup almost over, players who have been eliminated from the tournament are returning to their respective clubs ahead of the resumption of the season.
Barcelona recently welcomed back the likes of Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen back to the club’s training facilities following their exit from the World Cup in the group stages.
And today, Barcelona saw three more players return to the training camp as Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia have arrived at the Ciutat Esportiva complex following their departures from the World Cup in Qatar.
As per Gerard Romero, Lewandowski is back at Barça ahead of schedule as he had been granted an extra few days of vacation.
The same holds for Fati and Garcia as well, who become the first two Barcelona players from the Spanish national team to come back to the training ground.
Past reports had indicated that the entire Spanish contingent was expected to be back at the club next Monday. But the 20-year-old forward is back today itself.
While Lewandowski may be back early at the Ciutat Esportiva, the 34-year-old striker will be unavailable for the Blaugrana’s next three La Liga matches against RCD Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Getafe as he is suspended following his red card against CA Osasuna.
The striker will, however, be eligible to play in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup matches in between.
With Lewandowski unavailable for those matches, it could open the door for Fati to start through the middle. The youngster hardly played for Spain at the World Cup and an early return to training should help him get into some rhythm ahead of the second half of the season.
Garcia was one of the Spain players who did not receive a single minute at the World Cup. Having lost his place in Xavi’s side as well, the defender will be aiming to make a big impression on the manager and become a prominent part of the team again.