Barça does not accelerate Marc Bernal's return: When will he play again?

After Marc Bernal suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee and an injury associated with the external meniscus on August 27, 2024 in J3 of LaLiga against Rayo Vallecano as a visitor, the club, after the player underwent surgery, opted from the first moment to work cautiously on the player's return.

In this sense, the midfielder was predicted to be out for 12 months, which he will effectively fulfill, since his return to the field is not expected for this month, according to 'Mundo Deportivo'.

In this context, and despite the fact that the 18-year-old player is already training with the same intensity as the rest of the squad, the predictions of the coaching staff and the medical services of the Blaugrana team indicate that he will still need several more days before he can play a match.

Flick already knows the match in which Marc Bernal will play again

In this order of ideas, apparently, to see the midfielder sharing the field with his teammates in a competition again, we will have to wait until September, after the international break, where coach Hansi Flick plans to give him entry.

That's why everything points to the fact that '28' could play against Valencia CF, a commitment that will be played between September 13 and 14, in what, in principle, will mark the return to Spotify Camp Nou.

Of course, if necessary, Barça would be willing to wait a little longer to avoid taking risks with the player, something that the German coach made clear at the press conference prior to the match against RCD Mallorca for J1 of LaLiga 2025/26.

"The doctors told me that he would be out longer due to his age. It's his career, and he has 15 years ahead of him. We have to prepare him for the next 15 years. If it's a few more weeks, that's fine, he's on the right track. We'll see him soon," Flick said.

Barça drew up a conservative plan for Bernal

Marc Bernal's situation does not respond to a setback in his recovery or the appearance of new setbacks. The conservative approach adopted by the Catalan team is due to a recommendation that is increasingly widespread among the main specialists in injuries of this type, which indicates that young footballers should face these processes without haste. 

As they are still in the growth stage, experts agree that their recoveries should be more gradual and meticulous than those of players with fully completed physical development.

In this way, Barça takes care of '28', who was aiming to be the owner of the pivot during the past season until his injury unfortunately arrived, which gave entry to Marc Casadó in that demarcation, who ended up being a fundamental part of the team's collective success.