Barcelona teenage prodigy convinced his time will come after lack of minutes in recent games

When Barcelona pushed forward the arrival of Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense to January, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the Brazilian.

After all, the Catalans had been going through a rough phase with Robert Lewandowski not firing on all cylinders in front of goal. So, naturally, when Roque landed in Barcelona after Christmas there was a lot of buzz generated.

Soon enough, the 18-year-old made his debut for the Blaugrana coming on as a substitute against UD Las Palmas in La Liga, before featuring against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey.

Since then, though, minutes have become hard to come by for the Brazilian teenage prodigy. After not playing a single minute in the Spanish Super Cup, he was overlooked in favour of Marc Guiu against Unionistas and then again not called on vs Athletic Club this week.

It has raised questions about whether manager Xavi Hernandez trusts the youngster or if he is having problems adapting at Barcelona.

Roque confident his chances will come

But, despite everything, Vitor Roque is confident that his time will come and he will get his chances in the field for Barcelona, reports Joaquim Piera of SPORT.

‘Tigrinho’ is focusing on what he can control: his work and dedication to the maximum in every training session, like he has done since joining the squad in late December.

His exclusion against Athletic has not affected his confidence in the slightest, because one of the 18-year-old striker’s strong points is his iron mentality, his winning vision of football, and his belief in his potential.

Vitor Roque has played just three games for Barça. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Roque understands that he is in the phase of acclimatising to a new club and he is convinced that his time will come, that he will end up enjoying more opportunities, and that he will make the most of them and succeed in the Blaugrana shirt.

Xavi taking a cautious approach

A different report from Ivan San Antonio of SPORT sheds light on Vitor Roque’s lack of minutes, stating that Xavi is taking a cautious approach with the 18-year-old.

Xavi is well aware that he is only 18 years old, that this is his first experience in Europe, and that adapting to the demands of Barça is not easy.

That is why the Barcelona manager is taking a cautious approach before giving him greater responsibilities.

Roque will play when he has to and he will have minutes, but the message regarding his situation is that of absolute calm and patience.