Former Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is considering retirement at the age of 31, with his chronic knee problems coming back to haunt him.
The veteran French defender has played just one game in 2024 and has undergone two further knee operations, one in February and one in August. His contract expires next summer and Lille plan to let him go.
It looked like Umtiti was starting to return to fitness two seasons ago when he played regularly on loan for Lecce in the 2022/2023 season, before Lille signed him on a free transfer. However, with his last game in January, Lille have little hope of a return, and according to Sport, Umtiti could call it quits.
Umtiti looked like one of football's great talents when he arrived at Barcelona, but after postponing knee surgery to play in the 2018 World Cup, which he won, he has since struggled with knee problems.
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