It has been 20 days since Yerry Mina arrived at Barcelona, but the Colombian defender has yet to play a single minute with his new club.
Here we review the five main reasons why Ernesto Valverde has not given Mina his much-anticipated debut in the Barcelona kit.
1. Adaptation to a new style of play
Yerry arrived in Catalonia after playing several years in the Brazilian championship, where there is a style of play that has nothing to do with Barcelona's system.
Valverde believes Mina needs to adapt properly before he can perform alongside Lionel Messi and co. in an official game.
2. A very difficult fixture list
Valverde has not found the right moment to give Mina his debut with the club.
Their Copa del Rey ties against Espanyol and Valencia have been difficult ones, causing the coach to opt for his key players.
In LaLiga against Alaves, Mina was supposed to make his debut, but the visitors opened the scoring, leaving Barcelona in trouble.
3. A difficult position at Barcelona
The coach is aware that playing as a central defender at Barcelona is not an easy task, as one wrong step means the footballer is instantly blamed.
It has happened with the club's other signings over the years, which has resulted in their quick departures.
Therefore, Valverde does not want this to happen to Mina, who has arrived in the middle of the season, making everything much more difficult for him.
Valverde will not be taking any risks with the Colombian.
4. He arrived to be the alternative.
Before arriving at the club, Yerry Mina already knew that the Gerard Pique-Samuel Umtiti duo was indisputable at the centre of the defence.
However, in a club like Barcelona, there needs to be rotations due to the number of games played per year.
Therefore, the Colombian defender will be in a battle with Thomas Vermaelen, who is currently injured, to be the third option in the centre.
Mina must prove to Valverde that he deserves to be included in Barcelona's starting lineup.
5. He is young and cheap.
Mina made his move to the Camp Nou for 'only' 12 million euros.
Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho has been the most expensive signing in the history of Barcelona, which virtually forces Valverde to put him the starting lineups from the first minute.
Fans may still have to wait a week for Mina to make his debut and, if nothing unusual happens with Pique or Umtiti, he should come on as a substitute against Espanyol in LaLiga or against Valencia in the Copa del Rey.
His starting debut may be against Getafe at the Camp Nou next week, with Umtiti being one yellow card away from suspension.
RBarr
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I agree with every reason this article presented except for the one that the player is cheap. Like what the hell does the price has to do with the players quality and him making is debut. To be a Barcelona defender is one of the hardest part to adapt to in the barca system(this is my opinion) n it takes a bit longer for a defender to make a debut versus a attacking player. You think if coutinho came here for free he wouldn't ave started either?