18-year-old winger diligently following a fitness plan to prepare for preseason with Barcelona – Report | OneFootball

This upcoming preseason tour will be a great opportunity for Hansi Flick to assess his Barcelona squad. Despite finishing last season in a positive note, the team needs to sharpen up again. After all, every new season must be treated with complete focus at Barcelona.

Hansi Flick will want to assess the squad again

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick looks on from the bench. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While the German coach is familiar with most of the first team players from last season, he will still take the opportunity to assess some new faces as well. Just as it happened last summer, Flick will likely use this upcoming preseason tour to examine some emerging talents.

As of right now, the club is primarily focused on finding more natural wingers for the first team. Unfortunately, Barcelona was unable to complete the signing of Nico Williams but the hunt for a new winger continues as Marcus Rashford has now become a key target.

However, there are other options to assess as well and these include players from the Barcelona youth teams. One player in particular who seems to have a lot to offer and is working hard for his chance is Ibrahim Diarra.

Youngster working hard to impress the Barcelona coach

Aged just 18, the young attacking player from Mali is someone who has a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders. However, his biggest challenge is likely to come up soon as Hansi Flick seems willing to test him out during the preseason.

According to SPORT, Diarra has already been informed of Flick’s plans to give him opportunities during the preseason tour. He will train with the first team and could even earn himself some minutes if he can manage to impress the Barcelona coach enough.

However, to better prepare him for this opportunity, the club even provided him with a custom fitness plan that was aimed towards helping him build muscle and unlock a better physical version of himself. So far, the player has been diligently committed to that plan prepared for him by Barcelona.

In fact, the report highlights that the player first followed the plan while he was in Mali and is still doing so while in France with his family. Training hard both on and off the pitch in full Barcelona gear, his commitment to this opportunity is undoubtable.

Not the only player looking to make his mark

For him, this is a massive opportunity and something that he simply has to grab with both hands. Having been previously highlighted as a top talent that can offer a dynamic profile on the wing, he is fully committed to making this chance count for him.

As for his actual profile, he is a player who combines versatility and power. Able to operate both as a right-winger and attacking midfielder, he has a sharp left foot that allows him to cut inside and he is also able to make good use of his sublime dribbling and goalscoring ability.

However, he will likely not be the only player working to impress Hansi Flick during the preseason. Other aspiring young talents, including the likes of Jan Virgili, will also be looking to make a name for themselves with the Barcelona first team.