With the departure of Xavi Hernandez and the appointment of Hansi Flick as the new coach of FC Barcelona, there is a significant degree of excitement in the club and its fans about the upcoming pre-season.
Some of the first-team players will not be able to participate in this pre-season because of their international commitments, but most of the players who have not been called up for their international sides, and some from the youth academy will be available to start training under Flick right from the start of the pre-season.
From this latter category, one of the players who have already been summoned for the pre-season is the young defensive midfielder Marc Bernal, according to a report from Mundo Deportivo.
The 17-year-old pivot will have to report at the Ciutat Esportiva on July 10 to undergo his medical check-ups before embarking on the training sessions under Flick.
Before that, the youngster will also be visiting the club’s offices to sign his new contract, which has been agreed upon between the player and the club. With this new contract, Barcelona are looking to ensure his continuity at the Catalan club for two more years, until 2026, while also having the option of extending this contract to three further years.
Bernal is considered by the Blaugrana sporting department as one of the more promising pieces of the new generation of players coming up from the academy and as a part of the team’s long-term future. Deco made this clear to Flick, and the German now wants to see his level in the upcoming pre-season.
Although other youngsters like Marc Casado and Pau Prim are ahead of him in the Catalan club’s plans, Barcelona’s faith in Bernal is firm, and hopefully, the defensive midfielder will be able to convince the new coach to get more involvement with the first team in the coming season.
