BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Lionel Messi joined the rest of his Barcelona teammates on Wednesday.
Messi has been educated separately from the squad since he returned to the club on Monday and had not been a part of the team since announcing that he was looking to leave and then stay to avoid a legal dispute with Barcelona.
He had to pass two coronavirus tests before he could exercise with the rest of the team under incoming coach Ronald Koeman.
Philippe Coutinho, who had also practiced separately, also returns to the group. Players who had been with their national groups for League of Nations matches, along with Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati and Sergio Busquets, have also returned.
Barcelona said defender Samuel Umtiti went through the doctors after recovering from COVID-19.
Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal, who as Umtiti are on Koeman’s plans for the season, have also trained normally.
The club has scheduled a friendly match against the Nastic club in the third department on Saturday.
Barcelona have noticed that their first two Spanish league games have been postponed because they were playing in the last stages of the Champions League. The team’s league debut will face Villarreal at the Camp Nou at the end of the month.
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