Tuesday night saw FC Barcelona square off against Manchester City in a pre-season friendly in Orlando, with the game ending in a 2-2 draw before the Catalans prevailed over the Premier League champions via penalties.
A lot of things went well for Hansi Flick in what was his first big test as the manager of Barcelona, even though it was only a pre-season match.
But there were some negatives to come from the match as well, such as the situation with young forward Vitor Roque.
Things not looking good for Roque
Indeed, according to Mundo Deportivo, Roque suffered some discomfort in his ankle which might have brought about his substitution at half-time.
Roque started for Barcelona against Man City, but in an unfamiliar position on the right flank, with Hansi Flick preferring Pau Victor over him as the No. 9.
The Brazilian put in the hard yards off the ball but hardly made any impact when in possession.
Vitor Roque failed to impress vs Man City. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
While substitutions at half-time are a norm for pre-season friendlies, Roque was seen icing his ankle on the bench after the first half, leading to suggestions that he might have felt some discomfort.
Although with the club not issuing any statement regarding his situation, it is assumed that he will be available to face Real Madrid in a couple of days.
Roque, 19, finds himself heavily linked with a departure this summer. Things have not worked out well for the Brazilian since he joined in the winter window earlier this year and Barcelona are ready to part ways with him.
The teenage striker, for his part, wants to stay at Barça and was hoping to convince Flick & co. to retain him in pre-season.
However, given how things went down last night – with him being looked over for Pau Victor in the centre-forward slot and his failure to conjure up much of note in the first period, the situation appears quite bleak for the Brazilian.
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelonas-19-year-old-starlet-ended-man-city-game-with-ankle-discomfort-report/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2024-07-31 12:42:33
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.