Flick lays out roadmap for Barcelona starlet’s reintegration after cautious initial approach | OneFootball

Marc Bernal is being groomed to become Barcelona’s defensive midfielder of the future. The Catalans renewed his contract until 2029, even as he was recovering from a serious ACL injury, as a sign of confidence in his ability and potential.

Bernal ruptured his ACL in only his third official first-team match last season and spent a year out on the sidelines before returning in September against Valencia.

Since then, Bernal has been carefully managed by the coaching staff to avoid setbacks, with the club taking a cautious approach in easing him back.

Bernal’s time has come

Now, though, according to SPORT, the Barcelona staff believes that Bernal’s moment has finally arrived.

Hansi Flick’s plan is to begin giving him meaningful minutes in November and a larger role starting in January, provided his physical condition remains strong.

Barcelona’s medical team delayed his return during pre-season to ensure he had completed a full year since the injury before stepping back onto the pitch. He was given the green light in September, and since then has featured in only four matches, totalling 31 minutes.

Time to shine. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

His recovery, personally overseen by Flick, has been long and cautious, with some ups and downs along the way. The German coach preferred not to rush him, but now that Bernal is regaining rhythm, he will start integrating more regularly into the squad.

Flick knows that only minutes on the pitch will restore his match fitness.

Similar approach to Gavi

The plan mirrors, in some ways, the one used with Gavi last year, as he was eased back into action by Flick after recovering from an ACL injury.

Flick has been selective with Bernal’s minutes, even sparing him late-game cameos in matches that are already decided. But he did surprise many by giving the youngster a run-out against PSG, even if it was for a short while.

As with Gavi, November is the target month for Bernal to reach proper match rhythm. Flick is clear: if the teenager responds well, he will compete directly with Frenkie de Jong for the starting pivot role.

Barcelona’s confidence in Bernal remains absolute. They rejected numerous offers last summer and will not entertain any loan approaches in January. And the plan is for him to stay and play a major part in the second half of the season.