Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim is finding it difficult to earn playing time with Barcelona's first team, with Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus, Anthony Gordon and Dani Olmo all ahead of him in coach Hansi Flick's pecking order.
According to Catalan newspaper "Sport", the teenager has already made clear he would happily "drop down" to the reserve side to get the minutes he needs.
Against Galatasaray in the Champions League, Flick turned to Dani Olmo as a "false nine" to tighten his side's grip on the game. Raphinha, the team's first-choice forward, was absent as he recovers from injury.
Gabriel Jesus could also have filled the striker's role, and the Brazilian did come on in the second half and carve out a few chances. Anthony Gordon was another option, given his ability to score and, more importantly, his effectiveness in pressing the opposition.
All those options, plus an extremely congested fixture list, have left Hamza Abdelkarim with very limited playing time. In the ten competitive matches the team has played so far, the Egyptian has featured for just 12 minutes: four against Rayo Vallecano and eight against Getafe.
Sport report an internal debate on the matter. Hamza Abdelkarim is 18 and needs games, particularly as he is still adapting to Barcelona's style of play, having only joined the team midway through last season.
Barcelona have registered the Egyptian with the reserve side, Barcelona Atletic, and handed him his own shirt number so he can play for them when needed. Hamza has never actually appeared for that team. He moved straight from the under-19s into the first-team set-up.
When he signed his contract extension, which runs until 30 June 2030, Hamza Abdelkarim told the media he would feel no "embarrassment" about turning out for "Barca Atletic" and would not see it as beneath him.
His main aim, he explained, is simply to get playing time. Whether those minutes come with the first team, the reserve side or the Egypt national team does not matter to him.
Those comments landed very well at the Catalan club. Not every player adopts that mindset, with some viewing the reserve team, currently competing in the Spanish fourth division, as an obstacle to their development.
Hamza Abdelkarim knows he has a long future ahead of him, and that training alongside the "big names" and learning from them is of great benefit. His main ambition, however, remains playing matches.
Flick does include the player in his plans. The German has not given him many opportunities so far, but he always keeps him in mind, especially as squad depth is one of the fundamental pillars of this Barcelona side. Flick is impressed by what Hamza Abdelkarim produces in training. Actual minutes, though, remain extremely hard to come by.