It’s been a slow start to life at Barcelona for Vitor Roque, who has found minutes hard to come by since he joined from Athletico Paranaense during the winter. He has started just twice in La Liga (vs Celta Vigo and Cadiz), and has barely been used off the bench by head coach Xavi Hernandez.
Roque has not been entrusted to play in any of Barcelona’s big matches by Xavi. He didn’t play a single minute in El Clasico, and that was also the case for the Champions League matches, as he was not called upon against Napoli or Paris Saint-Germain. He also didn’t feature from the bench against Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey, or in the Spanish Super Cup.
A change of manager for next season could have helped Roque, but with Xavi now staying on, Marca have claimed that the Brazilian teenager is facing an “uncertain” future at Barcelona.
However, to counteract this, Sport have stated that Roque is very happy in Catalonia. He does not wish to leave on loan during the summer, and he understands that joining in January has allowed him extra time to adapt to Barcelona and Spanish football.
Barcelona are very excited about Roque, who they see as being a key part of their squad for many years to come. He may have had a difficult start, but next season could be his time to shine.