Barcelona homegrown star’s future in serious doubt as Flick sends another clear message

Barcelona homegrown star’s future in serious doubt as Flick sends another clear message FC Barcelona may be enjoying a perfect start to the season and obliterating records along the way, but one player who is not having a great time is Alejandro Balde. The Spaniard has inexplicably fallen out of favour under Hansi Flick, almost overnight, and seemingly cannot buy a minute. The emergence of Xavi Espart and the incredible form of Joao Cancelo have made life even more difficult for the 22-year-old Barcelona star. Balde’s situation at Barça is becoming increasingly difficult, with the left-back once again overlooked by Hansi Flick against Getafe. Balde overlooked despite Barcelona’s rotation According to Diario AS , Balde not featuring in Saturday’s 3-0 victory has raised further doubts about his future ahead of January. The Getafe fixture appeared to offer the homegrown defender a realistic chance of playing after the international break. Flick selected several players who had remained in Barcelona, including Joan Garcia, Gerard Martin, Gavi and Gabriel Jesus. Alejandro Balde is struggling to get minutes at Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Even Xavi Espart, who had been away with Spain’s Under-21 side, started the match . Balde, however, remained on the bench throughout. His involvement this season has been limited to just 12 minutes against Racing Santander, in a match Barcelona had already effectively won. Espart and Joao Cancelo are now comfortably ahead of him in the left-back hierarchy, and Balde is facing an uphill battle for minutes. January could determine Balde’s future Balde’s difficulties began at the beginning of the season. During the summer, it was revealed that Flick had informed him that his standing within the squad had changed and that regular minutes were no longer guaranteed. The coach even left him out of the squad against Elche, giving the defender time to consider his situation. No longer counting on Balde. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) Balde ultimately decided to stay, hoping he could change Flick’s mind, but based on the first eight games, that has not happened. Barcelona must avoid wasting Balde’s potential Barcelona need to handle this situation very carefully. Balde has already demonstrated that he can be an outstanding attacking full-back, particularly when given freedom to overlap and exploit space behind defenders. However, inconsistency and an inability to improve have been major reasons behind him losing prominence at Barça. Once touted as one of the best young left-backs in the world alongside the likes of Nuno Mendes, Balde’s career now seems to be going nowhere. The January window offers an opportunity to find a solution. Before making a permanent decision, Barça should give Balde a chance to prove his quality and show that he can make it at the Catalan club. It remains to be seen how Flick handles Balde’s minutes in the coming weeks and whether his chances improve through the course of the season.