Hansi Flick considering promoting 19-year-old La Masia attacking gem to first team | OneFootball

Since taking over the reins at FC Barcelona last summer, Hansi Flick has fully bought into the club’s philosophy of backing budding young talents coming through the ranks at La Masia.

Marc Bernal and Marc Casado have been benefactors of the same while the likes of Sergi Dominguez, Andres Cuenca, and Toni Fernandez have all made their first-team debuts for the club.

More young talents such as Guille Fernandez, Alexis Olmedo, Noah Darvich, and Jofre Torrents are already knocking on the doors, waiting for their chances.

Dani Rodriguez to be promoted?

Another youth prospect at La Masia who is tipped for a bright future is winger Dani Rodriguez, who is currently part of the Barça Atletic setup.

Now, Mundo Deportivo reports that Dani is a strong candidate to be promoted to the Barcelona first team under Hansi Flick next season.

The German manager is drawn to the 19-year-old prodigy’s ability, pace, and positional flexibility, having already called him up for several training sessions and followed his performances closely, either live at the Estadi Johan Cruyff or on television.

Hansi Flick admires Dani Rodriguez.(Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

Despite a season disrupted by injuries, Rodriguez has made the most of his limited minutes. He has played just 325 minutes across eight matches for the reserve team, only three of them as a starter, but has delivered three goals and three assists.

The teenage winger’s most recent assist came on Sunday, setting up Jan Virgili in Barça Atletic’s 2–0 win over Sestao. Now fully fit, he is contributing to the reserve side’s fight for survival in a challenging campaign.

Rodriguez joined La Masia in 2020 at the age of 14, arriving from Real Sociedad. Last season, he split his time between Juvenil A and the B team.

Having stood out with the youth teams, he earned a contract renewal until 2027, amid interest from Real Sociedad, Athletic Club, and other teams.

Dani is comfortable playing on either wing, as an attacking midfielder, or even in a deeper central role. His versatility is seen as a major asset by Flick and his coaching staff, and as such, a promotion to the senior setup next season could be on the cards.