A date has been set for striker Sergio Agüero to finally make his debut with Barcelona since signing from Manchester City.
According to Sport, the club doctors have calculated that if everything goes according to plan, the Argentinian striker should be available for the game against Valencia on October 17.
Though it will be up to the manager, whoever that may be, if Agüero actually sees any playing time. Ronald Koeman has taken it easy with Philippe Coutinho and waited until the match against Bayern Munich to give him his season debut despite getting the medical green light back in late August.
Getting Agüero back will be a significant boost for Barcelona
It is no secret the trouble Barcelona has had in finding a quality striker nor how they’ve struggled to score this season before the Levante match.
Agüero was signed on a free from Manchester City with the hope he could be the short-term replacement they’ve desperately been looking for. Things got off to a bad start when he picked up a knee injury the day after attending Lionel Messi’s farewell gathering.
The injury was the worst case scenario for Barcelona as he was ruled out for ten weeks.
In the meantime, they were forced to go into the market to find another striker. It’s what led them to the loan of Luuk de Jong from Sevilla. It hasn’t stopped them from being linked to other strikers with Edinson Cavani the latest name to pop up.
Agüero’s quality has never been the issue. It’s been staying healthy and it’s one of the reasons why Manchester City didn’t put up too much of a fight or offer him a new contract.
The 33-year-old has the opportunity to lead the line considering he is the best option in terms of his goal-scoring record. Not to mention Martin Braithwaite is currently also sidelined with a long-term injury.
Ansu Fati made his much-anticipated return against Levante and Agüero should be next. Slowly but surely, Barcelona is getting healthy and it could go a long way in their efforts to challenge for the La Liga title.