Marc Bernal started the first three games of the 24/25 season showing brilliance on the ball and the ability to be Barcelona's future DM.
Unfortunately, he suffered an ACL tear late into the third game of the season against Rayo Vallecano.
Now a year on, the youngster feels ready to get back in the team and has felt ready since the start of preseason. According to Sport though, Hansi Flick had stopped Bernal from playing in the Joan Gamper game despite the youngster feeling ready.
Why The Wait?
It may seem surprising at first to hear that Flick denied the youngster from returning despite feeling ready but the reasoning is actually a very sweet one.
According to Sport, Flick reportedly told Bernal that "I want you for 15 years, not for a friendly".
This is a reassuring thing to hear for the youngster as there's plenty of competition for midfield positions at Barcelona and a significant injury could've put the talented midfielder lower in the pecking order. Now it seems like despite the competition, Flick still sees a lot of potential in Bernal and counts on him to have a long term impact on the team.
As for the return of Bernal, it's expected that he starts returning to the matchday squad after the international break. Barcelona want to wait until it's been a full year since he suffered the injury to make sure he recovers as well as possible.
Barca fans may have to wait a bit more for the return of the talented midfielders they got a glimpse of, but at least it seems like the club really believe in him and are taking the right precautions to make sure he comes back at full health.