Barcelona have high hopes for 30-year-old defender after injury-riddled last season | OneFootball

Barcelona took a huge leap of faith back in the summer transfer window by handing Andreas Christensen a new deal at the club.

Considering the injury-ridden seasons Christensen had endured, many clubs would have been hesitant to hand the Dane a new deal.

Barça not only gave him a two-year deal but also parted ways with Ronald Araujo and Alvaro Cortes, trusting that Christensen would be one of their first-choice centre-backs.

According to Catalunya Radio, (h/t FCB World), people inside Barcelona “like Christensen and value him very highly,” while the club continue to have “great hopes” for the centre-back.

Barcelona still believe in Christensen

Christensen’s ability has rarely been the main question surrounding him at Barcelona. It has always been down to his fitness.

Andreas Christensen has started the season well for Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

When available and in rhythm, the Dane offers qualities that fit naturally into Barça’s football. He is composed in possession, comfortable building from the back and experienced enough to handle matches at the highest level.

One can hardly remember games where the former Chelsea man had a disastrous performance and cost his team dearly.

Now that he seems to have put his injury troubles behind him, Barcelona want Christensen to spend this campaign showing everything he can offer.

That could be particularly valuable for Hansi Flick, as Christensen could rotate with Pau Cubarsi and also partner him without a drop-off in quality.

A big season for the Dane

Rather than viewing him simply as additional squad depth, Barça consider him an important cog in their team for the upcoming season and beyond.

Christensen, Cubarsi and Gerard Martin could hold fort in central defence for Barca. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The important thing for the Dane is that he does not need to reinvent himself to convince Barcelona. The club already know what he can do and what his strengths are.

The challenge is producing those qualities consistently across an entire campaign rather than having his progress interrupted by physical setbacks.

From that perspective, the 30-year-old has had a good start to the campaign. If he can finally put together an injury-free season, Barcelona could end up having a memorable season across all fronts.