Former Barcelona footballer heaps praise on struggling youth player amid lack of game-time – “Complete player” | OneFootball

When Marc Bernal returned to full fitness after a year-long tussle with his injury, many expected the young midfielder to once again take Barça by storm.

However, as we approach February, the Spaniard has barely gotten any action, featuring in just under 300 minutes of action in all competitions.

Barcelona have maintained that they are being cautious with Bernal’s fitness, with the player also appearing quite patient, for now.

Jose Mari Bakero heaps praise on Bernal

In the midst of his struggles with a lack of game time, Bernal has received support and praise from a former Barcelona player, Jose Mari Bakero.

In a recent interview with Que Thi Jugues, Bakero described Bernal as a complete player.

“I think Marc Bernal is at a fantastic level. For me, he is a very complete player, and extremely intelligent tactically, who plays in a very simple style,” he said.

“He has a massive physical build and is tall; he certainly needs to fine-tune his movement coordination a bit, which he will undoubtedly acquire gradually as he plays more matches in the competition,” he added.

Will Bernal get more chances in the second half of the season? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Bakero’s statement come in the midst of speculation around Bernal’s future, with suggestions of a potential loan deal. Barça Universal, though, can exclusively report that Bernal himself will only consider a loan exit if Barcelona specifically asks him to.

Meanwhile, Bakero went on to hail Bernal as a complete player, notably pointing out his tactical acumen.

“But he seems to me to be a very complete player, and he has a promising future in this position, because as I told you, he is a tactically outstanding player and has a very intelligent reading of the game’s flow,” he said.

Finally, Bakero, who has appeared in almost 350 matches for Barcelona, admitted that he likes Bernal’s nimble gameplay.

“He plays with one or two touches, and he plays with great ease. I like him a lot,” he concluded.