21-year-old Barcelona midfield gem’s stats validate Hansi Flick’s trust | OneFootball

Life as a young footballer often comes very fast at you. At FC Barcelona, in the past few seasons, it has become a trend to see 16 and 17-year-olds break into the first team and not look back, so much so that being 18 feels like they are a year or two later.

For Marc Casado, the wait to get into the first team has been long and not easy. He was called up to several squads by Xavi Hernandez last season and was often training with the first team but he hardly got an opportunity.

This summer, the 21-year-old knew that he had outgrown Barca Athletic and that this season would have to be make-or-break for him at the club. Hansi Flick took one good look at him and decided that Casado was a fundamental part of his plans.

So far this season, Casado has not put a foot wrong. As per SPORT, statistics show how well the 21-year-old has performed for Barcelona this season and justify Hansi Flick’s trust in him. The German boss has now made him a regular starter with merit.

He has played 452 minutes this season so far across six games, all as a starter except the one against Villarreal. He often tops the metrics for most kilometers covered during the game. Against AS Monaco in the Champions League, after Barcelona were down to ten men, he covered 11.79kms in a tireless performance.

His La Masia training is shown in his passing accuracy in the league, which stands at an incredible 91.4%. Casado is often seen attempting risky passes and it is a testament to how good he is that he puts up Toni Kroos-like numbers.

He already has two assists so far this season. He wins 60% of his duels on average and records more than three recoveries per game. Apart from these numbers, he has also exhibited leadership qualities on the pitch and looks like a star in the making.

All things point to Marc Casado having a starring role in Hansi Flick’s team going forward. It bodes well that the 21-year-old has adapted seamlessly to the first team and let’s hope his form continues for a long time to come.