Barcelona defender Jules Kounde faces the prospect of a number of weeks on the sidelines after being withdrawn while representing France on Thursday evening.
The 23-year-old has rarely been out of the spotlight over the summer with the saga over his future being played out ahead of the new campaign.
Kounde eventually turned down a transfer to Chelsea in order to move to Camp Nou, the former Sevilla man revealing that he had been convinced by speaking to head coach Xavi.
However, it appears that the new arrival is set for a stint in the treatment room after sustaining an injury on international duty.
Kounde had been selected on the right-hand side of a back three for the world champions' crucial UEFA Nations League fixture against Austria.
By the midway point of the opening period, Kounde needed to be substituted after appearing to sustain a muscular injury at the Stade de France.
After the game, boss Didier Deschamps revealed that Kounde had an issue with his thigh and would undergo further tests over the coming days.
The development comes as a blow to all involved with Kounde having hoped to make an impression during France's final two fixtures before the World Cup.
Furthermore, there would have been a desire to retain his spot in the Barcelona XI with five starts coming between August 28 and September 17.
Kounde's performance in the middle of the Sevilla backline earned him his transfer to Camp Nou, but he has only been deployed in that role on one occasion.
That came in the 2-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, his other four appearances coming in the less-familiar role of right-back.
Barcelona will soon embark on a run of 12 matches between October 1 and November 9 ahead of the World Cup, which will be played in Qatar.
However, Kounde appears highly unlikely to feature in the first of those games, an away clash with Mallorca immediately after the international break. body check tags ::
