This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.
It’s not really easy making it at Barcelona, it never was, and many of their failed prospects and transfer flops can attest to that.
But it’s even more difficult for the young players aiming to earn promotion into the senior squad from the famous La Masia academy.
Marc Cucurella is one player who has been patient and worked hard, but his chance never truly arrived.
Currently, though, Cucurella is playing on loan at Getafe, and if the early signs are any indication, he just might have found an ideal home to catalyse his development.
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So far, the 21-year-old has played all three games and has stayed on the pitch for the entirety of the 90 minutes as well. Not only that, but he also registered two assists in the last two matches, helping his team claim two points against tricky opponents.
And in both of those games, we’ve seen quite impressive performances from the young defender, who was actually deployed at left-wing rather in his natural left-back position. But the clash against Deportivo Alaves was particularly interesting because it showed the whole array of Cucurella’s abilities.
The 21-year-old registered one assist, two key passes, 100% accuracy on his long balls and even contributed defensively with four tackles, which was also the highest total in his team and joined-highest in the whole game, including both sides.
And his 57 touches, also among the highest in the team, indicate he was heavily involved throughout.
The best part, however, might be that his performance was no anomaly. During the clash against Athletic Bilbao, a team that took down Barcelona in La Liga’s curtain-raiser this season, he was shining all the way.
In that game, he also recorded an assist, had a strike at goal, completed one key pass, four tackles and five long balls. By all accounts, another solid performance from the young Barcelona loanee.
One thing that just might be standing in the way of his glorious return is the purchase of Junior Firpo, who is set to be Jordi Alba’s reserve left-back in Catalonia.
At least Cucurella knows he made the right decision to go on loan to Getafe as he is surely set for more game time in Madrid than he could have expected had he stayed at the Nou Camp.
But the level of performance he’s showcased so far just might force Ernesto Valverde to scratch his head and think about giving Cucurella a chance once his loan spell comes to an end.
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