‘Very good example‘ — Hansi Flick singles out Barcelona defender for praise following an excellent run of games | OneFootball

FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has shown himself to be an excellent man-manager. Since his arrival at the Catalan club, many players have taken their game to the next level, but none can claim to have improved more than Gerard Martin.

The Spaniard has quietly become one of the more encouraging stories of Barcelona’s season. He may not attract the same attention as the bigger names, but his recent run of performances has clearly not gone unnoticed inside the club.

As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick used his pre-match press conference before the Rayo Vallecano game to speak warmly about the young left-back’s development. More importantly, he did so in a way that underlined how much the coaching staff value his progress.

He said:

“Gerard is a very good example of what can be achieved with attitude and effort. Everything is possible. We analysed him when I arrived because we needed a left-back and I spoke with Deco and Bojan. My staff analysed all the Barca Atletic players and the promotion play-off matches. I liked watching him.”

Back when Flick arrived at the club, Alex Valle was expected to be closer to the first team than Martin. During his first few months in the side, Gerard Martin looked like a fish out of water and made more than one calamitous error, enough for most managers to abandon the project.

However, Flick is no ordinary manager. Over the course of last season, Gerard kept getting better and better, but his best performances have come since his switch to left centre-back. Flick’s final verdict on his recent progress was equally strong:

“I think he has improved a lot. What I see from him is fantastic.”

Barcelona fans have slowly grown fond of Gerard Martin, and he has earned that appreciation through his performances. He deserves his flowers, and let us hope these displays continue for the rest of this season and beyond.