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Barcelona's gem steals Flick's mind

Pre-season at Barcelona always throws up new names from the club's academy, youngsters who start out away from the spotlight before gradually forcing their way into the coach's plans.

Take last summer. Dro and Jofre Torrents came through a series of tests and ended up in the first-team group as the official season kicked off.

Sport newspaper reported: "A full month after the start of the current pre-season period at Barcelona, a number of the club's academy players are still working under the leadership of coach Hansi Flick."

Orian Goren and Ibrahima Toncara are two of them. Born in 2009 and 2010 respectively, the pair rank among the brightest talents La Masia has produced, and the club pin serious hopes on both.

Once the season ended, the pair were told to join first-team training from July.

Goren's campaign ran late. He not only featured until the closing stages of the Champions Cup with Pol Planas's team, but kept going right up to his holiday by joining the side for the Catalonia Cup.

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Jorin forced to cut short his holiday
Aurian had to cut short his holiday, but for the best of reasons. Alongside Ibrima, the pair were the youngest players under the German coach's command on 13 July, when they underwent their medical examinations.
What a golden opportunity for the youngster. He joined Barcelona in 2022 and has already spent several months living at La Masia, an ideal environment in which he breathes football from all sides while receiving his academic education in a setting suited to his development.
Over the past weeks, Aurian kept climbing through the various stages. Once the squad returned from the training camp in England, the first round of cuts arrived, and Ibrahim Diarra, Alex Gonzalez and Oscar Gistau moved to the ranks of Barcelona Atletic.
Aurian stayed within the first-team environment. He travelled to Italy last weekend for the triangular tournament in Udine, playing 30 minutes against Udinese after already featuring for half an hour against Birmingham.
That was a perfect chance to gain experience for a player who, as we mentioned, has only just turned 17. Yet he plays with striking maturity, a distinctive vision of the pitch and a boldness that mark him out as something special.

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Jorryn continues to gain experience
Back from Italy, Jören keeps building his experience under Flick. The plan mapped out for him is clear: become a key figure this season with Barcelona Atlètic under Belletti, with the chance to feature for the youth team in the UEFA Youth League too.
Flick and his staff will assess the situation as the season unfolds. One thing is certain. The German coach is watching him closely, and a first-team debut this term cannot be ruled out.
For now, Oriol grafts away, making the most of his opportunity. Every session gives Flick another reason to keep him firmly in his plans.