Joan Laporta names Barcelona outcast as the ‘music of the team’ | OneFootball

Of all the achievements Hansi Flick can take pride in during his debut season at FC Barcelona, crowned by a domestic treble, perhaps none is more impressive than the individual transformations he has sparked throughout the squad.

Many players in the Barcelona squad have completely rediscovered their game and look to have added a new level. Some of the flag-bearers of this change have to be Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia, who have all enjoyed brilliant seasons.

However, if there is one player Flick has still not managed to get the best out of, it has to be La Masia prodigy Ansu Fati. The 22-year-old has hardly featured at all this season and even when he has, he has been a pale shadow of the player who broke through into the first team at just 16.

Ansu Fati has hardly played at Barcelona this season. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

High wages; not much value

On high wages and not adding much in terms of squad depth, there is an expectation that Fati might be living his last few days as a Barcelona player. The youngster will surely not fancy wasting another season of his career on the bench in Catalunya.

One of the only hard pills to swallow so far this season, Joan Laporta was quizzed about the delicate situation that the Spaniard finds himself in. However, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, the president offered some hope to the youngster for the future. He said:

“Ansu is a Barça player, he has a valid contract. We want him to keep progressing. He’s an extraordinary young man who brings a lot to the group. I always say he’s the music of this team. He’s a player who has gone through some difficulties, and I would love to see him return.”

It would mean the world to Fati to see the president call him the ‘music of the team’. It is sometimes easy to forget that Ansu is just 22-years-old and still very much a kid. What he is dealing with on a daily basis cannot be easy to take.

Does Fati have a future at Barcelona? (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Once touted to be the heir to Lionel Messi’s throne at Barcelona, Ansu Fati is now struggling to even get an appearance off the bench under Hansi Flick. However, as they say, the best thing about time is that it changes in no time.

Silver lining!

One silver lining Fati can take from all this is that his body hasn’t let him down for quite some time now. The next logical step will thus have to be for the youngster to work hard during pre-season to rediscover the confidence that has deserted him for a while.

With La Liga wrapped up, Flick may use these final games to rotate and experiment. If Fati can seize even a brief window to show glimpses of the talent that once electrified Camp Nou, it could shift the conversation about his future.

Whether he remains at Barcelona or finds a new chapter elsewhere, what’s clear is that Ansu still has music in him; the question is whether he’ll get the stage to play it again.