Former striker Bojan Krkic, who is also Barcelona’s technical co-ordinator in charge of loan player development, has provided updates on Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia, and Pablo Torre, stating he is pleased with what he has seen so far.
Before responding to inquiries regarding those on loan, the 33-year-old seems confident that “Barcelona is in good hands under Xavi.”
Thoughts on Ansu Fati
Bojan witnessed Fati’s third goal of the season for Brighton against Ajax in the Europa League last week and he is optimistic about the young talent’s promising performance.
“I came back from Brighton very happy. I really liked the coach and his coaching staff. I know the assistant coach [Andrea Maldera] from my time at Milan. In fact, we still keep in touch,” he told AS.
“Brighton is a team that plays football very well in a league that allows you to play football. Ansu is in very good hands. His coach believes in him and dominates the management of young people. He is very happy,” he added.
Pablo Torre, Eric Garcia, Lenglet and Dest
The technical co-ordinator also shared his thoughts on the tenures of Pablo Torre and Eric Garcia, who are both on loan at Girona.
The contrast, however, remains in the fact that while the latter is enjoying first-team football, the former has been limited to substitute appearances.
“Pablo in a team that, this season, is flying. He has a lot of competition. He’s a young kid who’s just starting out, and the truth is that his progress is very good.
We have to leave him alone, he’s a great player. He’s training at a good level. His time will come,” he said.
On Garcia, he said, “Eric is very happy. The decision he made was a very wise one. It’s close to home and Girona are a team that plays very good football. He’s got a great coach. He’s the captain of the defence, he’s delighted.”
Meanwhile, he also mentioned he will travel to Pamplona next week to observe the development of Julian Araujo.
“Next week I’ll go to see him in Pamplona. He’s performing very well, especially defensively. In his case, it’s especially important that he’s playing and competing. His evolution is very good at all levels.”
On the likes of Clement Lenglet, he said, “I haven’t been able to go see him [Lenglet] yet, but we are very attentive to him.
“He is playing little, but I trust that he will be able to reverse his situation. Aston Villa has started the season very well and the competition is maximum.”
He also added that he is happy to see Sergino Dest getting more game time at PSV. “He is having more regularity than before and I think this will be very good for him to grow as a footballer. And even more so in a team like PSV, leader of the Eredivisie.”
Lastly, he also shared his thoughts on Ilkay Gundogan’s post-match outburst following the 1-2 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.
“Gundogan’s statement? I’m convinced it will be discussed inside the locker room. No problem. Ilkay is competitive and a winner. He scored the first goal. The anger that a loss causes makes you have certain reactions.”