Barcelona 29-year-old star will have an important role under Flick this season | OneFootball

During the summer, when Barcelona sporting director Deco admitted there was a surplus of central defenders in the squad, Andreas Christensen was always the player earmarked to leave and seek a new destination.

The Danish international’s current contract runs until 2026, and the Blaugrana had no plans to extend it. As such, the initial idea seemed to be for the club to transfer him and make a profit from a player who arrived for free from Chelsea.

But Christensen never considered leaving Barcelona, and he kept working hard in pre-season, despite the constant speculations surrounding his future.

Christensen to have an important role

Now, according to AS, after being tipped to leave Barcelona in the summer, Christensen will instead play an important role under Hansi Flick in the ongoing season.

For the coach, having the Dane in his squad has never been a problem. He has full confidence in the centre-back, valuing his composure, quality, ball distribution, positioning and ability to adapt to instructions.

Christensen will be an important player under Flick. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The only concern remains Christensen’s recurring physical issues – minor injuries or general discomfort. After all, he was practically sidelined throughout the entire last season.

The unexpected departure of Inigo Martinez to Al-Nassr has now further increased his importance. While he is not the first choice on paper, he has already played 104 minutes across the opening three league matches.

Christensen did not feature against Mallorca, came on for the final quarter of an hour at Levante, and then partnered Eric Garcia vs Rayo Vallecano, where he completed the full 90 minutes and was arguably one of the few defenders to come out with credit.

As such, Christensen looks set to earn regular minutes moving forward, thanks to the trust of Flick and his coaching staff, who also want to encourage competition and rotation far more than last term.

Barcelona, however, are yet to make a decision on his contract situation. A renewal offer has not been ruled out, though for now it is not on the table.