Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has today admitted that youngster Carles Alena is deserving of more consistent playing time.
Barca prodigy
Alena, a gifted 21-year-old midfielder, made his way through Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy.
After impressing throughout the fledgling years of his career, the youngster was subsequently fast-tracked into the first-team picture of the Blaugrana for the first time in 2016.
Alena had long been considered a star in the making by those in charge at the Camp Nou, with his technical attributes and ability to ghost by opposing players having seen the Spaniard likened to Barca legend Andres Iniesta.
Last season proved Alena’s most productive to date in terms of game-time, as the midfielder racked up 17 La Liga appearances, including 6 starts.
And the opening day of the new campaign suggested that the Spanish U21 international was set to be depended on even more heavily by Ernesto Valderde this time around, with Alena having been thrown in from the off at Athletic Bilbao.
Incredibly, however, the starlet was hooked after just 45 minutes at the San Mames, and has since failed to carve out a single minute for himself in the Spanish champions’ first-team.
Spurs links
Alena’s struggles for time on the pitch come amid fierce midfield competition at the Camp Nou, with Ernesto Valverde’s squad boasting a near-embarrassment of riches in the middle of the park.
All of Sergio Busquets, Arthur, Frenkie de Jong, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic are also at the disposal of the Blaugrana boss.
As such, Alena, who is highly thought of throughout Europe, has inevitably been linked with a potential January departure from Catalunya.
Reports stemming from Spain earlier this week, meanwhile, named Tottenham as a possible destination.
It is claimed that Spurs have been on Alena’s trail since the summer, with Mauricio Pochettino a huge fan of his talents.
❗️✈️ Aleñá puede salir en enero
🧐 Valverde no le hace jugar desde agosto y el Tottenham quiere hacerse con él https://t.co/Au8bLoYlVY pic.twitter.com/w5wD2VXzpj
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) October 27, 2019
‘Deserves’ to play
As such, speaking in a press conference ahead of his side’s meeting with Real Valladolid tonight, Ernesto Valverde was drawn on the game-time struggles of his young midfielder.
And the Barcelona boss went on to confirm that it is more so a case of fierce competition for places, rather than any fault on Alena’s part, which has seen the Spaniard slip down the Blaugrana pecking order.
As per Sport, Valverde explained:
Alena is ‘not playing as much as I would have thought’, and he ‘deserves’ more minutes because he ‘gives everything in training.’
‘His attitude is really good, but there’s a lot of competition in the midfield positions. He started the season playing, but since then he’s not (played). He will keep working hard to get in the team.’
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