Barcelona’s focus on youth development has been a central pillar of the club’s long-term rebuild, with several academy prospects spending this season pushing hard to bridge the gap between Barca Atletic and the first team.
Opportunities have opened up across competitions, and performances at reserve level have been closely monitored by Hansi Flick and his staff.
The club’s strategy has been to keep promising talents in-house rather than rushing them out on loan, especially those seen as future first-team contributors.
That approach has already paid off for some youngsters, while others have been edging closer to their breakthrough moments.
Unfortunately, not every story follows a smooth upward curve.
Just as one La Masia product was beginning to find rhythm, confidence and continuity after a stop-start period, Barcelona have been dealt another frustrating setback.
Momentum, which is often everything for young players, has once again been interrupted at the worst possible time.
The club confirmed, via X, that Dani Rodriguez has suffered a partial rupture of the quadriceps tendon in his right leg, ruling him out for around three months.
“Barca Atletic player Dani Rodriguez has a partial rupture of the quadriceps tendon in his right leg.
:He will undergo conservative treatment, and the expected recovery time is around three months,” the club said in an official statement.
The injury comes just as the 20-year-old winger was beginning to knock on the first-team door, having re-established himself as a key figure for Juliano Belletti’s Barca Atletic side.
Dani Rodriguez had already tasted senior football last May when he made his first-team debut against Real Valladolid, a moment that should have marked the start of a steady rise.
Instead, that appearance ended painfully, as he dislocated his shoulder in the same match and was forced to undergo surgery.
That injury sidelined him for pre-season and delayed the start of his new campaign, disrupting his chances of building momentum with the senior squad.
After working his way back to full fitness, Rodriguez returned to the reserve team and quickly became one of Belletti’s most reliable attacking outlets, showing the sharpness and directness that had excited coaches inside the club.
A loan move was discussed during the January window, but Barcelona chose to block it, convinced that his development would be better served by keeping him close and continuing his progression within the club’s structure.
That decision underlined the faith placed in him as a long-term project.
However, during the weekend clash against UD Barbastro, misfortune struck again, as Rodriguez was stretchered off following the injury that has now been confirmed.
With another enforced spell on the sidelines ahead, Barcelona will once more be tasked with managing his recovery carefully, hoping this setback does not derail a talent they still believe has a bright future at the club.
📌 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞̀𝐝𝐢𝐜
El jugador del Barça Atlètic 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗥𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗶́𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘇 té una ruptura parcial del tendó del quàdriceps de la cama dreta
Seguirà un tractament conservador i el temps previst de recupersció serà d’uns tres mesos
💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/k3pu6tI2Z9
— Barça Atlètic (@FCBarcelonaB) February 10, 2026
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