Barcelona youth prodigy set to become a beneficiary of Balde’s injury | OneFootball

Earlier this week, Barcelona were dealt a major blow as star player Alejandro Balde picked up a training injury.

The Spanish international has been ruled out for at least three weeks, which could see him miss out on a host of key matches.

Balde’s injury is likely to force Hansi Flick to look at other options at his disposal, and one of the beneficiaries could be Jofre Torrents.

What Balde’s injury means for Torrents

According to Diario SPORT, the absence of Balde has opened the door for young left-back Jofre Torrents, who has impressed throughout pre-season.

The La Masia graduate, who was promoted to Barça Atletic last season, has already caught Flick’s attention with his consistency and tactical maturity despite being only 19.

Torrents currently starts the season as Barcelona’s third-choice left-back, but Balde’s setback means he could be fast-tracked into the first-team setup.

Balde’s injury could be hugely beneficial for Jofre Torrents. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

Gerard Martin, who has already been registered and made his season debut at Vallecas, is expected to start in Balde’s place, but Torrents could feature as an understudy and even sneak into the lineup depending on Flick’s tactical adjustments.

One possible option Flick tested during pre-season was deploying Gerard Martin as a left-sided centre-back, which could leave Torrents with a more natural route into the left-back role.

While Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen formed the central partnership against Rayo Vallecano, Torrents remains very much in Flick’s plans.

Juliano Belletti, coach of Barça Atletic, has full confidence in Torrents, having coached him previously at U19 level.

The youngster will continue to be registered with Barça Atletic and wear the number 17, but his progression into the first team could be accelerated now that Balde is injured.