Despite showing promise during his first four years in the Barca senior squad, La Masia graduate Casado has struggled to convince Flick that he deserves a starting role in the current setup. The German coach has prioritised high-intensity players who fit his vertical system, and the 22-year-old has found himself on the fringes of the matchday squad more often than not recently.
According toMARCA, Casado has effectively fallen to fifth-choice in the midfield pecking order. With the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc Bernal all ahead of him – and the club monitoring further reinforcements in the transfer market – the youngster has privately acknowledged that his development has stalled at the Spotify Camp Nou.