![Girona's Spanish coach Michel talks to Girona's Spanish defender #25 Eric Garcia during the Spanish league football match between Girona FC and FC Barcelona at the Montilivi stadium in Girona on May 4, 2024.](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/fbl-esp-liga-girona-barcelona-2-scaled.jpg)
Eric Garcia was one of the FC Barcelona players who played the last season on loan, and in fact, he was one of the Blaugrana loanees who had a very good 2023-24 season.
Playing for Girona last season, Eric Garcia became an undisputed starter for Michel and helped his team qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history.
Although he has now returned to the Catalan club, he will not be available for a good part of the preseason as he is a part of the Spanish football team for the Paris Olympics.
For now, some reports have claimed that Garcia will be a part of Hansi Flick’s squad for the next season, and will be ahead of Inigo Martinez in the pecking order.
However, as SPORT has reported, Michel was also somewhat optimistic about having the former Manchester City defender in his ranks for another season. Talking about the possibility of retaining some of his most important players last season, the Girona coach said:
“We won’t have Savinho. I see it difficult with Yan Couto. And with Eric, we’ll see what happens… What is clear is that in these three positions and in Aleix’s position, we need players. I have a lot of confidence in Quique and his team. And the club thinks the same, that we need to take a step forward. The club wants to grow.”
Thus, Michel’s comments clearly show that Girona are still hoping to have the Barcelona defender in their squad for another season. This can also be a good option for the player as Barcelona have quite a saturated backline.
But with the injury suffered by Ronald Araujo, for which he will have to undergo surgery, the Blaugranes might also want to retain him in their squad.