‘I will never give up‘ — Barcelona midfielder rules out January exit after playing 90 minutes against Oviedo | OneFootball

Marc Casado was one of Hansi Flick’s first names on the team sheet in the first half of the 2024/25 season. The Spanish defensive midfielder forged an excellent partnership with Pedri at the base of FC Barcelona midfield.

However, once Frenkie de Jong returned from his ankle injury and gradually reached his best, he pushed Casado out of the starting XI. The Dutchman went from strength to strength, while his Spanish counterpart missed a significant chunk of the remainder of the season with an injury.

Casado has found minutes very hard to come by so far this season. Even in the opportunities he has received, he has failed to impress as he did last season. Thus, last night was a big opportunity for him against Real Oviedo.

The Spanish international played the full 90 minutes. After the game, as quoted by SPORT, Casado reiterated his desire to succeed at Barcelona. He said:

Say what you want about Casado, but there is no doubting his commitment to the club. Much like Gavi, the former Barça Atlètic captain bleeds Blaugrana, and as a squad player, he still has a lot of value to add to this team.

Most successful teams have an excellent complement of regular starters and backup players. While Casado might never develop into a player who is a fixture for Hansi Flick, he can be used for valuable rotation, as he was last night.

Everything points to the Spaniard seeing more minutes in the coming weeks as Barcelona wait for Pedri to recover. Let’s see how things play out on this front and whether he can rediscover his best level in the near future.