5 footballers who are too good to be on the bench

#4 Marc Bartra - Barcelona

Barcelona are going against their principles again this season. La Masia is crumbling and those at the very top don’t seem inclined to do anything about it. One after the other, players from the Catalan club’s famous academy are choosing to move to pastures new to get regular first-team action.

Marc Bartra has waited for an age to become a first choice alongside Gerard Pique but is generally being overlooked in favour of Javier Mascherano, a defensive midfielder by trade. Even Sergio Busquets has been preferred ahead of Bartra, who in reality has never let the Catalans down when being given the opportunity.

He ticks all of the right boxes. Tall, athletic and strong, he is equally comfortable in dealing with aerial threats as well as those on the deck. Arguably, he is the most natural fit in the Barcelona back line with Pique.

But Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Tata Martino and now Luis Enrique just don’t seem to trust him. If he leaves, which seems more likely than ever, Barcelona will only have themselves to blame after letting another talent slip through their fingers.