€10m-rated La Masia gem continues to gain prominence in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona | OneFootball

Despite the numerous injury absences in the first phase of the 2024-25 season, Hansi Flick was able to find a good setup with his FC Barcelona squad, that allowed him to get some very good results.

In the absence of key defenders like Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, Flick picked Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi as his starting center-backs and completed the backline with Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde on the flanks.

Gerard Martin and Hector Fort were the two substitutes for the fullback positions, even though Flick had not been impressed by Fort after he arrived at the Catalan club, and initially preferred Alex Valle over him in the pre-season.

However, as SPORT has noted, the La Masia graduate has been working and improving his performances in training, which has allowed him to gain more prominence under Flick, and now he is the main alternative for Balde as well as for Kounde on the flanks.

This season, the Spaniard has played 333 minutes in 8 games, 7 in La Liga and 1 UEFA Champions League. However, he was unable to participate in the first four games of the season, but his situation has been improving since.

He started the match against Espanyol, but missed the game against Real Sociedad due to a physical problem. Against Celta Vigo, he came on in the second half, and occupied the left flank, where Xavi had tried playing him last season, and where he had impressed.

On Saturday, the €10m-rated La Masia pearl once again showcased his influence, entering the game with confidence and winning several duels. He also delivered an excellent cross from the byline, but Barcelona’s collapse from a two-goal lead ultimately overshadowed the performances of several Blaugrana players.

This was the first time Flick deployed Fort on the left, following a subpar first-half display from Gerard Martin, as Fort had previously played exclusively as a right-back earlier in the season.

For now, he has another opportunity to earn more minutes on the field, serving as a substitute for both Kounde and Balde. Hopefully, he will continue to impress the Barcelona coach with his performances.