Huge pre-season boost for Barcelona as starlet Alejandro Balde returns to the fold after long injury layoff

The 20-year-old was given his first taste of senior football since January when he came off the bench to feature in the final 15 minutes of his team's pre-season friendly against Manchester City. Barca went on to win 4-1 on penalties after drawing 2-2 over 90 minutes, with Balde scoring from the spot.

The left-back had been out of action with a ruptured hamstring that he sustained in a Copa del Rey quarter-final loss to Athletic Club last season. The injury required surgery and put an end to his season, dealing a huge blow to the Blaugrana given he had been a first-team regular until that point.

Balde, who has made 79 competitive appearances for Barca since breaking through from the academy, returned to training last week. He gave an understated response on social media after his return this week, writing on social media: "Great match against a great rival, we keep going!"

After his 189-day absence, Balde will be itching to get more playing time under his belt when Barca finish off their pre-season tour with games against Real Madrid and AC Milan. Their league campaign gets up and running with a match against Valencia on August 17.