Eric Garcia boosts Barcelona as Frenkie de Jong trains alone

Barcelona returned to training on Monday morning, with Eric Garcia providing positive news for Hansi Flick ahead of the club’s La Liga meeting with Getafe.

A small group of players who have not joined their national teams took part in the session at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, despite heavy rain, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Frenkie de Jong had been expected to work with the rest of the squad on the pitch. Instead, the Netherlands midfielder trained separately, completing an individual programme in the wet conditions.

Juan Garcia and Raphinha also followed individual training plans.

The players who worked together on the pitch at the Estadi Camp Tito Vilanova were Wojciech Szczesny, Gavi, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, Gabriel Jesus, Bryan and Alejandro Balde. They trained under the supervision of Flick, who is counting down the days until more players return and his squad becomes available for the team’s next league fixture.

Barcelona are due to face Getafe at Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, 10 October.

The most encouraging development for Flick was Eric Garcia’s return to group training. The defender was left out of the Spain squad after experiencing discomfort in his knee during the warm-up for the team’s first Nations League qualifying match against England at Wembley.

His participation alongside his team-mates offers Barcelona a boost as they prepare for the next stage of their domestic campaign, although De Jong, Juan Garcia and Raphinha continued with separate sessions.