Barcelona coach Flick may turn to 18-year-old La Masia talent amid defensive injury crisis – Report | OneFootball

The recent injury to Andreas Christensen has arrived at a very bad time for FC Barcelona. With the Danish defender now likely to be sidelined for the rest of the season, the Catalan club is running out of defensive options at the back.

Given the absence of Ronald Araujo being added up to the equation as well, there is very little room to manoeuvre for the German coach. Any more injuries or unwanted setbacks could end up being disastrous for La Blaugrana.

For that reason, as highlighted by SPORT, Hansi Flick may turn towards the youth teams at the club to find some reinforcements. In fact, one name that seems to stand out in that regard is that of Andres Cuenca.

Photo Credit: The Official Website of FC Barcelona

The 18-year-old left-footed centre-back has already made his first-team debut under Flick last season against Young Boys and is known for his technical ability, composure on the ball, and pace. He also possesses the kind of passing skills that can help initiate attacks from the back, a quality Flick values highly.

Cuenca has formed a remarkable defensive partnership with Pau Cubarsi in his youth years, which has been widely praised at the Joan Gamper Sports City. Currently, he has played three official matches for Barcelona B in the Segunda RFEF and has also gained experience in the Youth League.

He missed the early part of the season due to participation in the U-20 World Cup with Spain, but he has consistently delivered strong performances whenever called upon.

The experiment with Gerard Martin has also shown positive results, with the 23-year-old performing strongly as a left centre-back alongside Cubarsi. With Eric positioned in the pivot, Flick needs a reliable defensive rotation option, and Cuenca, along with Alvaro Cortes, could be an interesting option to explore.

However, it remains to be seen if the German coach believes the young player is ready for such a big responsibility. Despite his debut for the first team under Flick last season, a role like this would be much more demanding.