One of the question marks over Hansi Flick when he arrived as Barcelona manager was whether he would continue to trust La Masia, a question that he has answered firmly in the affirmative. His predecessor, Xavi Hernandez, was praised for his commitment to using youth players, and it has continued under the German coach.

Since the arrival of Ronald Koeman, the likes of Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Gerard Martin, and of course Lamine Yamal have come through into the first team, and have stuck around. Flick has continued to hand opportunities to La Masia products, with Bernal and Casado the latest to graduate.

PSG have confirmed Ousmane Dembélé will be out for six weeks after picking up a hamstring injury with France. The former Barcelona winger will miss the Champions League clash against Barça on October 1. To make matters worse for PSG, Désiré Doué also picked up a calf injury on…

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Balde injury issues leave Hansi Flick with decision

After a fraught 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano, the bad news kept on coming for Flick, with Alejandro Balde ruled out for three weeks with a muscle problem. It means that Flick will likely be without his starting left-back for their clashes with Valencia (H), Newcastle United (A) and Getafe (H). The obvious choice to replace him is Gerard Martin, who came in for Balde when necessary last season. The only other natural alternative is youngster Jofre Torrents, who participated heavily in preseason.

Jofre Torrents move suggest first-team involvement

Torrents, 18, made his debut in the first game of the season against RCD Mallorca, coming on for the final 22 minutes of the clash, and has since been on the bench in their subsequent two Liga clashes. The first two, it should be noted, Martin was unregistered, and in the third, Martin was used off the bench.

Torrents was due to return to playing for Barca Atletic during the international break, but Sport say that Flick and Barcelona decided to keep him out of their game, ensuring he is fit and healthy should he be needed by the first team. While this may be simply a precaution, it certainly suggests that Flick believes he could either compete with Martin for the spot, or provide some relief for him in Balde’s absence.