Report – Two things Flick wants Barcelona midfield prodigy to improve in his game | OneFootball

After going through a tricky period upon his return from injury, Marc Bernal is slowly but steadily once again gaining prominence at FC Barcelona.

The 18-year-old starlet made his comeback from an ACL injury back in September 2025, but Hansi Flick has been very cautious with the youngster’s reintegration, so as to avoid any risks of relapse.

The lack of minutes even led to the possibility of a January loan exit for the La Masia gem, with Girona pushing, only for Flick to shut the doors on it following Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernandez’s exit and Pedri’s injury.

Now, gradually, Bernal is starting to play more regularly and even started and stayed on the field for more than an hour against Albacete earlier this week.

Flick seeks improvement from Bernal

It goes without saying that Flick is happy with how Bernal’s reintegration has gone after he was out of action for more than a year.

At the same time, though, SPORT reports that the Barcelona manager seeks improvement from the young midfielder, particularly in two aspects of his game, for him to play more regularly.

The first point is that Bernal must improve his physical condition to gain continuity – something that Flick laid out after the youngster’s game-changing second-half display against FC Copenhagen.

Growing in stature. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

However, it is a tricky objective because the quickest way to achieve it is through minutes at the highest level. Even more so at this stage of the season, with a hectic calendar that limits the quality of training sessions, many of which are focused on recovery.

Meanwhile, the second aspect that Flick wishes for Bernal to improve is his ability to move the ball more quickly when playing as a No. 6.

The German wants Bernal, when operating as a holding midfielder, to keep things simple in passing and circulation. The starlet still shows some habits of an interior – he likes to drive forward and break lines – but Flick prefers him to release the ball quickly.

This was evident against Albacete, where Bernal had good moments, but also lost possession in dangerous areas. After the game, Flick said: “He has improved, but he needs to play quicker.”

There is no question about Flick’s faith in Bernal and his potential. But for the youngster to gain more prominence in the team, he will have to take the inputs from the manager and improve on these things.