Samuel Umtiti gets an emotional reception as he arrives at Lecce following Barcelona loan exit
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Samuel Umtiti CRIES after receiving rapturous reception as he arrives at new club Lecce on loan from Barcelona… with the World Cup-winning defender determined to get his career back on track in Italy
- Samuel Umtiti was mobbed after joining Leece on loan from Barcelona
- The French defender appeared close to tears at the reception he received
- Umtiti was part of Didier Deschamps’ World Cup-winning team in 2018
- However the Frenchman has been plagued by injuries in recent years
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Samuel Umtiti has received a rapturous reception upon his arrival in Italy at new club Lecce after arriving at the Serie A club on a season-long loan from Barcelona.
The World Cup-winning Frenchman was mobbed by fans and media and spoke passionately about his opportunity to get his career back on track after spending much of the last few seasons in Catalonia on the treatment table.
Umtiti had been regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world when he first joined Barcelona, having been named in the UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI during his first season at the club.
Persistent injuries have seen Umtiti’s playing time severely reduced at the Nou Camp
Breaking into the first team at Lyon aged just 18, Umtiti was quickly recognised as one of Ligue 1’s hottest prospects, and was awarded for his good form with a call up to the national team during the European Championships in 2016.
After making the move to the Nou Camp, Umtiti would retain his place in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the World Cup, battling through injuries to feature in all but one of the team’s games as France claimed its second-ever World Cup win.
Victory in Moscow would ultimately prove to be bittersweet for Umtiti however, as his injury issues would continue to haunt him domestically leading the centre-back to make just 15 appearances in all competitions for the Blaugrana in 2018/19.
The defender scored the winner in France’s World Cup semi-final against Belgium in 2018
In the years since, Umtiti has yet to make more than 15 league appearances in a single campaign, and last season was restricted to just a single appearance in all competitions, making a cameo appearance as a stoppage-time sub against Osasuna back in December.
Despite the club’s well publicised financial issues this summer, the loan agreement between Barcelona and Lecce will see the La Liga giants pay the entirety of Umtiti’s wages during his spell at the Stadio Via del mare.
While injuries have undoubtedly derailed a once-promising career, the 28-year-old will be hoping that he can use his spell in Serie A to return to his World Cup-winning form.
