Barcelona veteran will have to earn his place in the team under Hansi Flick

Earlier this month, FC Barcelona appointed Hansi Flick as their new manager, with the German tactician replacing club legend Xavi Hernandez.

The 59-year-old’s appointment sparked a plethora of speculations about who could become key players under him and who could face problems.

It has been widely suggested that Robert Lewandowski, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Ilkay Gundogan would all have prominent roles under the new manager, owing to the fact that they have worked with him in the past.

After all, Lewandowski enjoyed his most successful season under Flick at Bayern Munich while Ter Stegen and Gundogan were regulars during his reign as manager of Germany.

Gundogan will need to earn his spot

However, as per Toni Juanmarti of SPORT, there are no guarantees that Gundogan will have a crucial part in Hansi Flick’s plans and the veteran midfielder will have to earn his place in the manager’s team.

While Ter Stegen and Lewandowski are pretty much certain starters in their positions, Gundogan will have to make do with plenty of competition in midfield.

Gundogan will have to fight for his place. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

After all, he will have to battle it out with Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, and possibly even Andreas Christensen for places while Barça also intend to sign a new midfielder as well.

There is no denying that Gundogan enjoyed a brilliant debut season at Barcelona, finishing with five goals and 14 assists. It highlighted his impact in the final third, in particular the differential quality in his last pass.

At the same time, however, Gundogan has shown that most of his virtues are much more linked to possession than to pressing, which will be a key aspect in Flick’s team.

Flick wants his team to settle in the opposition half, play high and stay away from Ter Stegen’s area. But it is impossible to always subdue the opposition, which is why he also expects his midfield to have the ability to run at the back when necessary.

As such, Gundogan, despite his brilliant contribution last season, might not be guaranteed a spot in Flick’s system and will have to work hard to earn a place in the team.