[ad_1]
Ronald Koeman says he was especially impressed with US youth international Konrad de la Fuente, as Barcelona continued their preparations for the new season by beating Girona 3-1 on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi scored two goals, his first goals for the club since he tried to leave last month, and Philippe Coutinho was also right, as Barça managed two wins in two friendlies with Koeman.
– Stream ESPN FC daily on ESPN + (US only)
– Lowe: Messi returns to Barça for ‘Last Dance’
The Barça manager took advantage of the game to take a closer look at some of the youngsters who have been involved with the first team during the preseason, including Konrad, Pedri and Riqui Puig.
“We know we have very good young players here,” Koeman said at a press conference after the game. “The important thing is to be involved in training at a good level and then take it to these friendlies.
“If I had to highlight one of the youngsters, Konrad would say, I’m very happy with him. But we also have Pedri, Riqui. We have a great future ahead of us.”
Konrad, 19, became the first American player to play for Barça when he entered Saturday’s win over Gimnastic Tarragona. He had an incorrectly disallowed goal for offside during a 45-minute cameo.
The American winger entered the last half hour against Girona, replacing Coutinho on the left of the attack. His pace caused problems on the Segunda side and created a great opportunity for Pedri, which was denied by a brilliant save by José Suárez.
The Miami native, who signed a new contract at Camp Nou earlier this summer, is expected to be with the B team this season in the Spanish third division, although his preseason performances have not hurt his chances with the first team. .
Another player who is having a good preseason is Coutinho. The Brazilian has scored in each of his two appearances so far and will be given a second chance at the club with Koeman after a year on loan at Bayern Munich.
Young American Konrad de la Fuente, right, competes for the ball during a friendly against Gimnastic on September 12. Getty Images
“Coutinho is doing really well,” Koeman said of Barça’s record signing. “I think he feels good, he is training and playing well. He has a lot of quality and we must take that into account. All players need the support and help of their coaches.”
Meanwhile, the future of Luis Suárez remains uncertain. He was out of the team for the second straight game and Koeman says he still doesn’t know if the forward will leave the club or not.
“I was talking to Suárez this morning,” added the Dutch coach. “We are waiting to see if he will go or not, we still do not know. We respect all contracts here and, if he stays, he will be part of the squad.”
Barça are next in action when they host Elche in their last pre-season friendly on Saturday. His La Liga campaign begins the following weekend with a home game against Unai Emery’s Villarreal.
Source: espn.co.uk
[ad_2]
