There have been many breakthrough young players this season at Barcelona, most notably Pau Cubarsi, who has cemented himself as Hansi Flick’s starting defender.

However, another player who has also madea big impact this campaign is Marc Casado, who had started to form a formidable midfield pivot with Pedri.

Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, Flick has recently decided to start Frenkie de Jong in midfield, a decision that was considered risky by a lot of people.

Thankfully, De Jong has shown his quality since the turn of the year and justified the German’s decision to start him over Casado.  

Frenkie de Jong on Marc Casado

After Barcelona narrowly beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0, the Dutch midfielder was asked about Casado and his thoughts on his performances this year.

“My opinion on Marc Casadó? He is a very talented player with a lot of quality. At Barcelona, we have many good players, each one of them can contribute to the team. He works hard and I am very happy with him,” De Jong said, cited by Managing Barca.

Even though he has lost his starting spot, the 21-year-old La Masia graduate is still a vital part of the team, providing a quality option of the bench. 

So far Casado has played 31 games for Flick and with Barcelona still in all competitions, there will be plenty of minutes to share around between him and De Jong.