Marc Bernal, battling hard to recover

One step follows another. Marc Bernal is still fully focused on his recovery. On the basis of plenty of calmness and good nutrition, the La Masia midfielder is working hard at the Ciutat Esportiva to overcome the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and an associated injury to the outer meniscus that he suffered on the third day of the league season, and for which he underwent surgery on September 9.

Despite only playing a few matches, Bernal quickly made a strong impression. In the blink of an eye, he became one of the key players in Hansi Flick’s engine room, starting in all three of the opening league fixtures. Sadly, that all feels like too long ago, for things all went wrong for him at Vallecas on August 27.

Almost seven months later, the 17-year-old is still battling away to regain full fitness. The walls of the Ciutat Esportiva bear witness to the youngster’s determination as he takes things step by step on his long road to recovery.