Barcelona confirmed on Monday that one of their brightest prospects faces six weeks on the sidelines.
In a statement on its dedicated "Barça Atlètic" account, Barcelona said: "Ibrahima Tounkara, the Barcelona Atlètic player, has suffered a ligament injury to his left ankle during his side's match against Vilanova last Sunday, and he is expected to be out of action for six weeks."
Tounkara had trained with the reserves on Friday after wrapping up his spell in first-team pre-season, where he turned plenty of heads over recent weeks. Hansi Flick handed him three friendly appearances, and he also featured in the Joan Gamper Trophy wearing the academy shirt.
The timing could hardly be worse for the youngster, with the club banking on him as a key figure for Barcelona Atlètic this season. He will miss roughly the first five matches, putting a return in early October on the cards.
Young as he is, Tounkara caught Flick's eye throughout pre-season. The German coach liked what he saw in training and in the friendlies, and it cemented the teenager's status as one of the standout talents tipped to edge closer to the first team.
Several European clubs had already come knocking, trying to lure him away from the Camp Nou. Tounkara and his camp stuck firmly with the Catalan project, convinced, like Barcelona themselves, that he can make the step up to the senior side.
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