Josue Caicedo is off the mark. The Ecuadorian made his Barcelona Atletic debut in a 2-1 win over L'Hospitalet in the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet Cup, and the young left-back caught the eye on his first outing for the reserves.
Barcelona Atletic claimed their first victory of pre-season after losing 2-1 to Unio Esportiva Tona and drawing 1-1 with Girona.
Ignasi Quer and Shane Kluivert struck to seal the win, while Caicedo pulled on the shirt for the first time since arriving at Barcelona last July.
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Bureaucratic red tape had delayed his arrival before Brazilian coach Juliano Belletti finally got to call on him. The player signed his contract with the club the following day, at a ceremony attended by Jose Ramon Alexanko, director of youth football at Barcelona.
On for Landry Farre, Caicedo played 30 minutes against L'Hospitalet and impressed at both ends of the pitch. He pressed hard, won the ball back quickly after losing it, covered the left flank and chipped in going forward, according to the Catalan newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".
Belletti had plenty of praise for the Ecuadorian afterwards: "We know what he is like, and gradually he is gaining confidence. When the time comes to appear in the league, he must be ready. If he is here, that is for a reason, and we must make use of him."
At 18, Caicedo joined Barcelona on loan from Ecuadorian side LDU Quito, with a purchase option worth 2.5 million euros.