Report: 16-year-old La Masia wonderkid set for pre-season with Barcelona first team | OneFootball

Every summer at Barcelona brings fresh excitement around the next generation of La Masia talent, but this year one name that is beginning to generate serious attention is Ebrima Tunkara.

According to SPORT, the 16-year-old academy prospect is expected to join the first-team environment during pre-season under Hansi Flick, giving him the biggest opportunity of his young career so far.

Barcelona’s preparations for the new campaign are expected to begin on 15 July, with the squad travelling to England later in the month for a training camp near Birmingham at the English Football Association’s facilities.

However, this year’s schedule will look very different from normal.

Why is that?

Because of the World Cup, a large number of Barcelona’s senior internationals are expected to return later than usual. 

Ebrima Tunkara will do the pre-season under Flick. (Picture credit: Instagram/@ebrimatunkara10)

Players involved in the latter stages of the tournament may not rejoin the squad until August, leaving Flick heavily dependent on academy players throughout the early stages of pre-season.

That situation is already opening important doors inside La Masia.

Several youngsters are expected to receive opportunities with the senior group over the coming weeks, and among the most exciting names is Tunkara.

Tunkara’s rise has been extraordinary

Within the academy, Tunkara is increasingly viewed as one of the most naturally gifted young players currently developing at the club.

Ebrima Tunkara is highly rated within Barcelona. (Picture credit: Instagram/@ebrimatunkara10)

Despite being only 16 years old, he has already achieved something remarkable this season by becoming the third-youngest player ever to debut for Barcelona Atlètic.

Tunkara arrived at Barcelona’s academy structure during the 2018–19 season and in only a few years, he transformed into one of the standout talents within world football’s most famous academy system.

This upcoming pre-season may become especially important because of the unusual World Cup calendar. 

With senior stars unavailable for large parts of July, several academy players will receive chances to impress directly in front of Flick and his staff and that environment could accelerate careers very quickly.