21-year-old Barcelona player realises the extent of the competition in the midfield this season – Report | OneFootball

For weeks, one of the names that has been linked to a possible exit is Marc Casado. However, the Barcelona midfielder remains adamant about staying loyal to his club. Unfortunately, that will not automatically grant him minutes.

While his commitment is commendable, Casado has to fight for minutes just like anyone else. Unfortunately for him, the squad is already stacked with talent, especially in midfield, and it is extremely difficult to break into the starting eleven for now.

Casado gets a glimpse of the competition in the team

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After all, as highlighted by SPORT, Casado realised this much following the recent game against RCD Mallorca in La Liga. The Spaniard, despite being available and on the bench, did not end up featuring at all during the game.

While Pedri and Frenkie de Jong remain locked as guaranteed starters, they were accompanied by Fermin Lopez in the starting eleven. Then, in the second half, the two midfielders to be brought into the game were Dani Olmo and Gavi.

That essentially left behind only Casado, who saw no action at all during that game. Moreover, with Marc Bernal expected to return to action soon, this should be a real eye-opener for Casado and just how much competition there really is within the squad.

Barcelona could soon have a tighter schedule

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However, it is also true that this is still just the first game, and once the schedule gets more packed and multiple games have to be played each week, Casado could potentially get more opportunities. Still, he will need to fight for those minutes as well and continue to prove to Hansi Flick that he is worth relying on.

After all, he has reportedly turned down many offers to stay at the club. The only way that would be worth it for him, regardless of his loyalty to Barça, would be through opportunities and chances to prove himself on the pitch.