Barcelona youngster receives key messages of affirmation from club and country | OneFootball

Marc Bernal was always very highly rated in La Masia, and Barcelona have always seen him as a key part of the long-term project.

An unfortunate knee injury just when he was getting started with his senior career, however, kept him out of action for 345 days and saw him spend a long time away from the field.

This season, in that sense, was dedicated to helping him regain his rhythm and confidence. Barring an untimely injury around the time of Barcelona’s game against Atletico Madrid in the UCL, he largely delivered with high quality and consistency.

Messages of affirmation

As reported by SPORT, Bernal could not have asked for a more optimistic scenario to end the season with as he has received strong messages of affirmation not only from Hansi Flick at Barcelona but also from Luis de La Fuente from the Spain national team.

Bernal enjoys Flick’s complete trust. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

At the club level, Hansi Flick handed him minutes in all five of Barcelona’s games after his return until the end of the season. In the final three games, he was a starter and played almost the entire game.

That, coupled with the overall prominence he enjoyed during the season, shows Bernal that he is loved by the manager and a critical part of his plans for next season despite Gavi’s return adding competition.

On Spain’s radar

The second message of affirmation the youngster has earned is from the Spanish National Team. While De la Fuente did not include the player in Spain’s final World Cup squad, he has taken him as part of the support group accompanying the squad for the training camp.

De la Fuente has called Bernal up for World Cup preparations. (Photo by Levan Verdzeuli/Getty Images)

The player, thus, will be with the La Roja camp until June 4th and train and experience the atmosphere of the senior national team just ahead of the World Cup.

His inclusion in such a call-up, needless to say, confirms that he is on De la Fuente’s radar and that he could well be with the senior Spain team in future tournaments. 

All in all, the trust shown by both managers is a signal to Bernal that he is on the right track and that next season can be massive for him.