Hansi Flick has become a huge admirer of 16-year-old Barcelona pearl – report

It has been a little under a month since Hansi Flick started working with Barcelona players in the pre-season heading into the 2024/25 campaign.

In the short time that he has been at the club, it has become apparent that the German tactician is ready and willing to provide opportunities to youth talent from La Masia and carry forward the trend that Xavi Hernandez set in his tenure.

The likes of Marc Casado and Marc Bernal have been making the headlines for their performances in pre-season and rightly so.

But there is another young talent who is believed to have made a big impression on manager Flick.

Hansi Flick ‘in love’ with Toni Fernandez

Indeed, according to Albert Blaya Sensat, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has become enamoured with 16-year-old wonderkid Toni Fernandez.

A versatile centre-forward, Toni has been doing pre-season with the senior team this summer, along with his cousin, Guille Fernandez.

Having turned 16 years old last month, the young La Masia gem also signed his first professional contract with Barcelona.

Flick has been impressed by Toni Fernandez. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)

In the short period that he has worked under Flick, young Toni is understood to have made a huge impression.

It must be remembered that Toni was one of the few young players that the manager highlighted during his first interview with Barça One, citing him as an example of the exciting youth talent available at the club.

The report highlights that even though Toni has played as a centre-forward, those within the club see him as a hybrid of a striker, winger, and playmaker and believe his best position is that of a secondary striker.

As such, Toni Fernandez has been made to watch videos of two generational talents in Phil Foden and Florian Wirtz who tend to operate in similar roles.

Toni started Barcelona’s first pre-season friendly against UE Olot and played 45 minutes against Manchester City earlier this week, where he shone brightly while scoring a nerveless penalty in the shootout.

Sky is the limit for the 16-year-old wonderkid and with Flick having great faith in him, it would not be a surprise to see the La Masia pearl get an opportunity in the senior setup in the near future.