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Barcelona have kicked off their pre-season with consecutive wins. The Blaugrana have been busy in the off-season, securing the services of the likes of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, to name a few.
The future of their star man and talisman Lionel Messi, though, hangs in the balance, as the 2021 Copa America winner is yet to finalise an extension with the club. Nonetheless, the La Liga giants need to get back to business as the Spanish top flight gets underway next month.
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Barcelona have always had a well-balanced squad, something that is no different this time too. As their preparations for the 2021-22 campaign kick off, we take a look at five Barcelona players to watch out for during the pre-season.
#5 Sergino Dest
Sergino Dest had a great debut season with Barcelona, playing as many as 30 league games. The first American to appear in the El Clasico, he was impressive in the right-back position, filling a huge void for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona were struggling to find a suitable replacement for Dani Alves. Even after spending on players like Nelson Semedo, that position remained a cause for concern.
However, Dest took no time in settling into that position and also found the back of the net twice, proving his worth as an attacking full-back.
He was one of the first players to join the Barcelona squad in 2021 pre-season training and should be able to build on what was an amazing debut season last campaign.
#4 Rey Manaj
It is always great for a club to see their homegrown talent making it to the first team. That is good on multiple fronts - if the player is deemed fit by the manager for the first team, the player must be competent. That also means the club does not have to go out in the market to spend on bringing in reinforcements for that position.
Moreover, playing a homegrown player is an indication of the health of the youth setup. In this regard, one of the players who is set to make the move from Barcelona's B team to the main team is striker Rey Manaj.
The player has impressed in his two outings under Ronald Koeman. He scored in both the friendlies so far and has four goals to his name. His form might come in handy for Koeman, as Barcelona were heavily reliant on Messi in the final third last season.
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#3 Alex Collado
Alex Collado is one of the few players from the Barcelona youth setup who has made the most of the chances given by Koeman in the pre-season friendlies. He scored a goal in Barcelona's 4-0 win over Gimnastic and made an impressive cameo appearance against Girona too.
Collado has been a part of the Blaugrana's youth setup since 2009 and also has two appearances for the main team. He is a highly-rated player who can play as an attacking midfielder or a winger. That is the kind of versatility that increases his chances of a callup to the Barcelona first team.
The 22-year-old has made his intentions of playing for Barcelona in La Liga in the 2021-22 campaign very clear. He is even adamant about leaving the club if he doesn't get enough minutes with the first team.
#2 Ronald Aruajo
One of the young players who stepped up for Barcelona last season was centre-back Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan defender had to fill in for either Gerard Pique or Samuel Umtiti at the heart of the defence from time to time but did so with a level of maturity not usually displayed by players of his age.
There were occasional slip-ups from him, but he had a good season, also managing to score two goals. Araujo has recovered from the injuries that plagued him last campaign. He is yet to appear in Barcelona's friendlies this pre-season, but has trained well with the team.
With Pique back to full fitness, first-team chances might be at a premium for him. but with Umtiti likely to leave Barcelona, Araujo should be ready to make the most of any chance afforded to him.
#1 Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay is Barcelona's first new signing of the season and has been able to join up with the squad; he scored on his debut, albeit in a friendly against Girona. The player was impressive at the recently concluded Euro 2020 and should be able to have a similar kind of impact for Barcelona as well.
Depay scored from the spot after coming on as a second-half substitute and looks like a solid addition to the squad. His performances in the pre-season could be key in Depay making the Barcelona first team this season.
