Samuel Umtiti Ruled Out 8 Weeks with Hamstring Injury Suffered vs. Celta Viga

Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti is set for a spell on the sidelines after he withdrew from Saturday's 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo in La Liga.

The Blaugrana confirmed the 24-year-old will be out for around eight weeks on their official website.

The France international has been a major asset to the Catalan giants since arriving at the Camp Nou from Lyon last summer for a reported fee of £20.5 million, per Sky Sports' Peter Gilbert.

Umtiti has provided steel at the back that previous signings such as Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu simply didn't offer, giving Barca a more assured demeanour in defence.

The presence of another accomplished centre-back even gave Barca the opportunity to experiment with three at the back last season, with Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano the other reliable figures in defence.

Vermaelen replaced the Frenchman on Saturday and seems likely to do so again in the near future, as Mascherano has been sidelined since early November.

The Frenchman now looks likely to miss several upcoming fixtures, including the all-important clash with Real Madrid on December 23 and the tricky visit to Real Sociedad on January 14.