18-year-old Barcelona goalkeeper recovers from hamstring injury sooner than anticipated | OneFootball

The goalkeeper position at FC Barcelona has been in a state of constant flux for the last few weeks. The first major change in this position occurred in the match against Villarreal, as Marc Andre Ter Stegen tore his patellar tendon, a problem that is expected to keep him out of action for almost the rest of the season.

With this injury, Inaki Pena was set to be the German’s replacement in between the goalposts. However, without Ter Stegen, there was not much experience on the Barcelona bench for such an important position on the field.

Thus, the Blaugranes decided to take advantage of the relief that FIFA and La Liga regulations allowed them, as they signed the Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who had already retired from professional football after his side’s elimination from UEFA EURO 2024.

Meanwhile, another young goalkeeper who had frequently been called up for the first team since last season, Diego Kochen, also suffered a hamstring injury on 20th September, from which he was expected to miss four weeks of action.

However, as SPORT has reported, the images from the latest training session published by Barcelona show the USA international to be already back training with the first-team players who remain at the club amidst the ongoing international break, only three and a half weeks after his injury.

Before his injury, Kochen had started the season in a very promising fashion, shining in particular for Barcelona Atletic’s games against Real Union and Andorra. He was called up by Hansi Flick for the game against Girona, but he suffered the injury only a few days after this match.

In his absence, Ander Astralaga and Aron Yaakobishvili were the youngsters called up by Flick to complete his goalkeeping trident. However, in Marc Andre Ter Stegen’s absence, it will mainly be Inaki Pena and Wojciech Szczesny who compete for the starting spot between the sticks.

Short-Term Future of Diego Kochen

This weekend, Barça Atlètic is set to take on Ponferradina on Saturday at 5:30 PM (local time), while the first team will host Sevilla on Sunday at 9:00 PM (CEST) at Montjuïc. This schedule presents a unique opportunity for either Kochen or Astralaga to play on Saturday under the orders of Albert Sánchez and potentially earn a call-up from Hansi Flick for Sunday’s match.

Kochen trained with the first team this past Monday, suggesting he may be in contention for the weekend’s fixture. However, it’s important to note that he has been sidelined for nearly four weeks, so his fitness will be a key factor in any decision.

Long-Term Projection

Kochen is undoubtedly a promising prospect for both FC Barcelona and the United States national team. The Miami native embodies the qualities of a modern goalkeeper and has all the attributes necessary to be the future starting goalkeeper for FC Barcelona.

He is fast, agile, and explosive between the sticks. He excels in aerial challenges and also possesses exceptional skill when playing with his feet.