Three Barcelona academy players train with the first team ahead of Elche clash | OneFootball

As Barcelona continue to battle a wave of injuries that has decimated Hansi Flick’s first-team squad, the one silver lining emerging from this crisis is the renewed involvement of La Masia talents. 

The club’s academy, long celebrated for producing world-class players, is once again stepping up to fill the void left by injured stars.

Pedri’s latest setback, which is expected to keep him sidelined for six to seven weeks, has forced Flick to rethink his midfield options. 

In response, the German manager has turned his attention towards the youth setup, particularly Tommy Marques, who trained with the senior team yesterday. 

Numbers have been trimmed

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the first-team dynamic shifted slightly ahead of Barcelona’s weekend clash against Elche. 

The report indicates that only three academy players, namely Toni Fernandez, Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernandez, and Xavi Espart, remained with the senior squad in today’s training session. 

The rest of the youth contingent, including Jofre Torrents, Tommy Marques, and Alvaro Cortes, were sent back to work with the reserves.

Xavi Espart trained with the first team. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Torrents, the 18-year-old left-back, trained under Juliano Belletti with the B team. Meanwhile, Marques and Cortes also returned to Belletti’s setup after being carefully assessed by Flick in the previous training session. 

It seems that the first team manager appears to be keeping close tabs on their development and physical readiness, possibly with the idea of integrating them more permanently once the situation stabilises.

In the goalkeeping department, Diego Kochen and Eder Aller continue to train regularly with the first team. 

With Wojciech Szczesny currently serving as the temporary No. 1, the young duo is acting as backup options while both Joan Garcia and Marc-Andre ter Stegen work on their recoveries. 

Garcia is expected to return soon, while Ter Stegen’s comeback will take a little longer.

With the schedule becoming more demanding and the recovery times shorter, Barcelona’s future may very well rest in the hands of these emerging La Masia stars who are now being asked to step up when the club needs them the most.