Three Barcelona players yet to feature on US pre-season tour

FC Barcelona continue their pre-season preparations as they build up to a new season. Having beaten Manchester City and Real Madrid in the US leg already, Hansi Flick’s men prepare for a game against AC Milan next.

Understandably, Flick has used this opportunity to take a look at various players in these two games. The German coach has placed a lot of trust in youth and most of them have repaid the faith shown in them.

Flick took 31 players with him to the pre-season tour. A few of them joined the team late but all of them are in the US currently. Of these 31, the German coach has given a chance to 28, with only three yet to make their pre-season debut.

As per Mundo Deportivo, the three players yet to be given a chance are goalkeeper Diogo Kochen, center-back Alexis Olmedo, and first-team defender Jules Kounde. The latter just joined the squad before the El Clasico and should feature in some capacity against AC Milan.

Kochen is one of four goalkeepers in the traveling roster and is currently fourth in the pecking order. In the first game against City, Flick gave chances to Inaki Pena and Ander Astralaga with Marc-Andre ter Stegen returning for the Clasico.

The US-born shot-stopper is unlikely to get any game time against Milan either but it would have been a good learning experience for him. Meanwhile, Olmedo, the 18-year-old centre-back played in Flick’s first game against Olot as a midfielder.

However, as is the case with Kochen, the teenager is unlikely to get any game time in the game against Milan with many first-teamers returning. The center of defense at Barcelona is well-stacked, thereby limiting his chances.

It must be noted that one player has already left the training camp – Oriol Romeu. The Spaniard played against Man City but left ahead of the Real Madrid game to secure a loan move back to Girona.

Flick’s men will be hoping to finish off the US pre-season tour with another win against AC Milan and go back to Barcelona in good spirits where they will take AS Monaco on in the seasonal curtain riser, the Joan Gamper trophy. Hopefully, the club would have made some signings by then but let’s see!