Barcelona defender will not join national team camp due to minor injury

Barcelona’s 3-0 win against Atletico Madrid had everything; goals, drama, red card. However, the team from Catalonia was struck by a major concern after it emerged that Andreas Christensen would be unable to participate after picking a minor injury during warmup.

Following up on that, a report from the Danish national football team has confirmed that the former Chelsea man finds himself compelled to withdraw from the upcoming international matches due to the same issue.

In his place, the national coach, Kasper Hjulmand, has opted for Brondby’s Jacob Rasmussen, who now stands poised to potentially debut for the men’s national team.

What happened to Christensen?

Christensen was initially named in the playing XI Barcelona presented an hour before kick-off. However, during the warm-up, the Denmark international felt discomfort, prompting Fermin Lopez to ramp up his exercises in the final minutes to ensure his optimal condition.

“First team player Christensen has noticed some discomfort during the warm-up,” Barcelona said in a statement.

Andreas Christensen will not travel with Denmark. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

With Christensen sidelined, a pivotal figure in recent matches, Ilkay Gundogan stepped up to fill the role, occasionally transitioning to a 4-2-3-1 formation with both Gundogan and Sergi Roberto anchoring the midfield.

Speaking after the game, the manager explained the last-minute changes by saying, “The idea was to start Gundogan as an advanced midfielder on the right, the top of the ‘box’ as we call it.

“However, as Christensen couldn’t play, we opted for Fermín. Christensen has some discomfort in his Achilles.

“Christensen is not injured per se. He has some Achilles discomfort, the same thing I had when I played. It’s painful, but it depends on the day. Today he told us that he couldn’t play.”

Despite the magnitude of the injury, the towering Dane has not decided to join his international team to play upcoming matches against Switzerland and Faroe Islands which can only come as good news for Barcelona.