He wasn't on the Asia tour, but Flick is keeping him for 25/26: who is he?

The FC Barcelona squad looks more and more cohesive ahead of the 2025/26 season. The preseason tour of Asia has only confirmed that the team led by Hansi Flick is quite compact, that the new signings have fit like a glove and that the young players from the academy can also contribute an extra quality to the Barça sports project.

This last point is especially relevant, as the German coach did not hesitate to give minutes to the talents of the reserve team that he took to the stage in Japan and South Korea:

1. Jofre Torrents
2. Pedro 'Dro' Fernández
3. Antonio 'Toni' Fernández
4. Guille Fernández

These young players left very good feelings after the tour and have positioned themselves strongly in the orbit of possible options to reinforce the first team. Although some were not called up for this trip, there is another name from the academy that Hansi Flick is following very closely.

Dani Rodríguez: the academy player who excites Hansi Flick

It is Dani Rodríguez, a 19-year-old right winger, who already had the opportunity to debut in official competition under the tutelage of the German coach. An unfortunate debut, as in the Real Valladolid - FC Barcelona (1-2) corresponding to matchday 34 of LaLiga 2024/25, his debut was marred by an acute dislocation in his right shoulder after just 38 minutes on the pitch.

As a result of the mishap, the player from Astigarraga had to undergo surgery. His estimated time out was between 3 and 4 months, this being the only reason why he was not part of the Barça expedition to Asian lands. Instead, Dani is now facing a recovery process supervised from Barça Atlètic, with whom he is doing individualized work.

The German coach is counting on Dani Rodríguez for the 2025/26 season

Despite the injury, everything indicates that Flick will continue to count on him once he is 100% recovered. This has been reported by Mundo Deportivo, which assures that the coach himself would have conveyed his confidence to him for this new season.

However, it remains to be seen how the winger returns after overcoming his ailment, especially because he will have strong competition ahead of him. On the left side, the first team already has two proven options such as Marcus Rashford and Raphinha, in addition to situational alternatives such as Fermín López and Dani Olmo, who can play in that area.

The Basque winger has an interesting profile to reinforce the left wing

What is clear is that the characteristics of Dani Rodríguez are very pleasing to the sports management. He is a player with a lot of flair, extremely fast, with dribbling and creative ability to overcome rivals in one-on-one situations. He is also usually accurate in his decision-making, either assisting or taking advantage of his good left-footed shot.

He is one of those electric players who can make a difference in the final third of the pitch. His presence on Hansi Flick's radar only confirms that Barcelona wants to continue relying on La Masia as one of its key pillars to compete on all fronts.