La Masia graduate has secured his place in Barcelona’s first team after loan spell | OneFootball

Barcelona’s pre-season campaign is set to begin on July 4, providing manager Xavi Hernandez an opportunity to get a good look at his players and sketch out his plans for the upcoming campaign.

The 42-year-old tactician will get a good look at some of the stars who were out on loan last season following which he will take a call on their future at Camp Nou.

However, according to Diario AS, one of the players who spent the previous campaign away on loan already has a place in the manager’s plans. Indeed, as per the report, La Masia graduate Alex Collado will be a part of the first-team setup at Barcelona next term.

The last summer was a forgettable one for Collado as he was sent back from the pre-season camp to finalise a loan move to Club Brugge. However, the transfer fell through and later on the window, a touted loan switch to Sheffield United also did not materialise.

As a result, Collado was left in limbo, having not been registered with the first team or the B team for the first half of the season. When January arrived, the versatile midfielder left the club to join Granada on loan and made a solid impression.

Collado made 17 appearances in the second half of the season and scored two goals, while setting up one more, but could not help Granada avoid relegation.

However, the 23-year-old, who can play in the middle of the park or on the flanks, showed progress in his short time at Granada. And that has left enough of an impression on manager Xavi, who is ready to keep Collado at Barcelona for the upcoming campaign.

The same cannot be said of another young prospect who is returning from loan in Francisco Trincao. The 22-year-old failed to make a decisive impact at Wolves and will likely be moved on, with Barça slapping an €18 million price tag on the winger.