Hansi Flick has enjoyed a stellar season at Barcelona and one of the biggest surprises has been how he’s been able to turn some bit-part players into key squad members.
Eric Garcia is certainly one such name. The often-derided Spain star looked certain to leave after spending last season on loan but is now going absolutely nowhere.
Deco confirmed as much in his recent interview with RAC1 where he credited a season with Michel at Girona as key in turning around Eric’s fortunes.
“What makes me happy in his case is that when he went to Girona he regained his confidence and when he returned he was a much more confident player,” he said.
“I spoke to Ivan [De la Peña, his agent] and told him to leave him here, that he was a top player. For me it is key and it has been. It’s not easy to play a great game and then come back to the bench. He has helped us a lot and we want him to continue.
“We have extended the contracts of Pedri, Gavi, Araujo and now Raphinha. There are also Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia. The priority is to take care of the players we have. If we manage to strengthen them, we will see what we can do.”
Barcelona players are often reluctant to go out on loan but Eric (and previously Fermin Lopez) has shown how useful a temporary move can turn out to be.