The mystery with Marc Bernal
The club and the player's entourage claim he is "100%" recovered, but the midfielder, who will play for Catalonia today, is getting limited playing time.
Barcelona"Future." This is the word Marc Bernal used to define himself just a few weeks ago. in an interview with the ARA. The 18-year-old midfielder from Berga burst onto the scene at Hansi Flick's Barça, but a serious knee injury sidelined him for all of last season and the beginning of this one. The club's policy since then has been to remain calm during his recovery process. His desire is to gradually regain his prominence now that, as the player himself, his entourage, and the club confirm, he is "100%" recovered.
Although he felt some discomfort throughout this process, from returning to training with the group and reappearing on September 14 (with an assist) in the 6-0 win against Valencia, he didn't experience any issues that prevented him from participating in the regular training sessions. He has been undergoing adapted physiotherapy and rehabilitation work and has been careful with his recovery, but his lack of playing time is purely a tactical decision. "He's fine, he lacks match fitness, of course, but he's okay," say sources close to Bernal. "The manager has faith in him, but he's been injured for a long time. Little by little," they add from Sant Joan Despí. This Tuesday, the midfielder from Berga will have the opportunity to play a full 45 minutes for the first time since his serious injury. It will be in the context of the charity friendly between Catalonia and Palestine, played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (6:30 p.m., TV3).
In fact, Bernal is the only first-team player that Barça has released to participate in the charity match. The Catalan club, hampered by injuries at the start of the season, has not granted permission to either Alejandro Balde or Gerard Martín, while Marc Casadó, with muscle discomfort, and Eric Garcia, with a broken nose, are still recovering. For Hansi Flick, it's important that the midfielder, who was his favorite last season, accumulates playing time. The demands of this early campaign have deprived Bernal of opportunities. In fact, even the midfield absences haven't been enough to give him the prominence he hopes to regain. In three months of competition, he has only participated in five matches, playing brief spells and residual minutes that barely exceed half an hour in total. Half an hour spread across five matches
Bernal has featured in two Champions League matches, playing 11 minutes against PSG as an attacking midfielder and another 10 against Olympiacos, and in three league matches: 9 minutes against Valencia, 1 against Oviedo, and 1 more against Celta. The latter is particularly noteworthy, as with Casadó sidelined during the warm-up, Flick opted to bring Olmo into the starting lineup and move Bernal back to the pivot position.
The German coach has opted to deploy midfielder Eric or Andreas Christensen as temporary solutions in the center of the pitch. In the next match, Barça hosts Athletic Club, a tough opponent, without Pedri (injured) and De Jong (suspended). "Flick hasn't said anything special to Marc. Absolute calm. He's only encouraged him to keep working to improve," sources close to the player told ARA. The same sources explain that the player's priority "is and always has been Barça," but admit that if the situation doesn't change between now and January, they will consider a loan move so he can regain match fitness. The player has no shortage of offers, and if he does leave, his destination would most likely be another club in the Spanish or Italian leagues. A move to the English Premier League is not expected "due to the demanding pace of the competition."
