Barcelona youngsters handed opportunity as Flick prepares for depleted preseason | OneFootball

Hansi Flick once again proved that he is the very best man for the FC Barcelona bench as he led the Blaugrana team to a second consecutive La Liga title in the 2025-26 season. However, European glory once again evaded him and his team, and the main challenge for him next season would clearly be to get the UEFA Champions League trophy back to the Spotify Camp Nou.

For now, the German coach would be enjoying a well-deserved rest after a long season, and would be planning summer reinforcements for his team with Deco. The German coach is set to return to the training grounds on 13th July, six days before the end of the World Cup 2026 for the start of pre-season training.

As things stand, up to 15 Barcelona players would be participating in this World Cup, and the fates of their respective national teams in this competition would determine when they will return to training under Flick.

Keeping in view that they would also need a significant period of rest after the World Cup and before starting training for the next season, the Blaugrana coach has already found the way to keep his ranks full before their returns.

In this regard, Mundo Deportivo reports that the Catalan side has already notified some of its youth players to remain ready in case they are needed for first team training. In fact, some youngsters have already received the call-ups and are required to report to the Ciutat Esportiva for the first day of training, while some others would remain a part of Flick’s reserve squad.

This upcoming preseason would be significantly different from the last one, as Barcelona were not participating in the Club World Cup, and with no international tournaments, Flick had the entire team available. This year, the World Cup means a significant part of the team would be unavailable for preseason training, which could turn out to be and grow under Hansi Flick.