Injured Barcelona youth prospect under the care of first-team staff as Flick follows him closely

Young goalkeeping prodigy Diego Kochen was expected to be one of the key beneficiaries of Barcelona’s decision to appoint Hansi Flick this past summer.

However, Kochen’s progress was halted after a relatively unimpressive summer campaign, coupled with a hamstring injury, which slowed his progress further.

Although Kochen wasn’t able to make the same impact as other youth players at Barcelona, he is still rated highly by coach Flick.

Kochen being conditioned by first-team medical staff

That is perhaps why Diego Kochen is currently looked after by the first-team medical staff, as opposed to La Masia doctors.

According to SPORT, the first-team doctors are treating Kochen under a special request made by coach Hansi Flick.

It appears the German tactician is closely keeping an eye on Kochen’s progress, as he rates him as one for the future.

Will Kochen make his first-team breakthrough?

The current goalkeeping situation at Barcelona is quite favourable for youth prodigies such as Diego Kochen.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season is over due to a long-term injury, which is why Barcelona had to bring in Wojciech Szczesny.

The Pole has returned from retirement to play for Barcelona and is set to compete with Inaki Pena. But Szczesny’s contract will expire at the end of the season.

This leaves Kochen with an exciting opportunity to make his presence felt, especially in the long run.

However, the youngster must first recover from his hamstring problem and then make an impact at Barça Atletic, if he is to gain more prominence in the first team.

Patience and perseverance, therefore, could be the name of the game, as Kochen gradually looks to make an impact in the first team.