Barcelona winger Roony Bardghji has admitted he is unhappy with his limited minutes this season, telling manager Hansi Flick he deserves a greater role.
The 20-year-old has made 22 appearances across all competitions in his debut season in Catalonia, but for just 615 minutes overall. Flick has found just four La Liga starts for Bardghji to go along with three in cup competitions.
“100% I am not happy,” Bardghji told SVT Sport,
“I have patience, even though I may have thought I deserved to play more.”
He did, however, acknowledge the competition for minutes against players with several years of experience at the highest level.
“Respect to those who have been there for a long time, my teammates. I know what I can do, I have good self-confidence.”
Bardghji at Risk of Regretting Dream Move
“It has always been my dream to play there,” Bardghji said of his arrival at Barcelona last summer. “Winning the first trophy was great. It was a great feeling.”
At the time of his transfer, Bardghji was recovering from a nasty injury and allowing his contract with Copenhagen to wind down, meaning his price tag of just $2.4 million (€2 million) did not attract much attention.
In reality, Bardghji had a number of interested suitors, including many of Europe’s elite sides, having already spent four years in the Copenhagen senior side to establish himself as one of the world’s top young prospects.
The chance to represent his dream club was one which Bardghji clearly felt he could not turn down, but the Sweden international has now met a familiar problem for players his age. At elite clubs like Barcelona, minutes can be very hard to come by for young, inexperienced talents.
A big issue for Bardghji is that his favored position is on the right wing, where he competes directly with Lamine Yamal who, ironically, is actually two years his junior but comes with a wealth of experience right at the very top of the game already.
Bardghji has operated as cover for Yamal but that limited role is clearly not enough for the youngster, whose decision to vocalize his frustrations may not sit well inside Camp Nou.
Raphinha’s Injury Opens Door to Young Winger
Competing with Yamal is effectively a lost cause for Bardghji, who may need to call upon his versatility to find more minutes in the Barcelona lineup.
A door has been opened through the injury to left winger Raphinha, who is expected to miss over a month with a muscular injury picked up on international duty.
Bardghji automatically moves one place higher in the pecking order under Flick, although the route to the starting lineup is still crowded by the presence of Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford. Dani Olmo, Fermín López and Ferran Torres have all seen more minutes on the left wing than Bardghji this season.
Bardghji’s insistance that he can remain patient will undoubtedly be tested over the final few months of the season, after which a decision on his future will have to be made. Nobody benefits from his limited minutes and a loan exit could be on the cards, while a permanent sale might not be too far-fetched given the presence of Yamal ahead of him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Not Happy’—Barcelona Forward Hits Out at Role Under Hansi Flick.
