Barcelona manager Hansi Flick may call on 16-year-old Cousins to cover injury crisis in Champions League
Barcelona have relied heavily on their La Masia youth academy in recent years, and as their midfield enters another injury crisis, Hansi Flick may be forced to dive back into the youth sides. The replacements are getting younger and younger.
Cousins Toni Fernandez and Guille Fernandez trained with the first team this week, with Dani Olmo ruled out until mid-October and Fermin Lopez suffered a second injury in training on Tuesday, with the same recovery period expected. The 16-year-old pair could be included in the squad to face AS Monaco on Thursday night in Flick's Champions League debut, they say. Sport.
Fermin's injury is the same one that Pedri suffered after playing in the Euro Cup and the Olympic Games. @AdriaAlbets
— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 18, 2024
No one has played regular football even for Barca Atletic, in the case of Toni who made his debut 11 days ago for Albert Sanchez. He has two goals in his 133 minutes of action, and is a versatile striker, capable of playing through the middle or more commonly out wide. Meanwhile Guille, a bit more experienced of the pair, can play in midfield and would be a more natural alternative to Fermin or Olmo.
Both caught the eye during Barca Atletic's 3-0 win over Ourense, with Toni Fernandez made an outrageous scissor-kickin a first goal of the season contender. Even if they are included, it seems unlikely that they will show up unless there are more injuries. Ferran Torres, Pau Victor, Pablo Torre and the returning Ansu Fati will all be hoping for minutes early.
