Barcelona announced the signings of Rodri and João Cancelo this week and the natural question is when the duo will be ready for action, and Hansi Flick offered updates on their status in a press conference on Saturday.
The coach said the Portuguese full-back is fit enough to be involved despite just a couple of days with the squad, but Barça fans will have to wait a little longer to see Rodri in action as the Spain captain will only join group training on Monday.
“[Cancelo] could play tomorrow, he’s
ready and, in my opinion, he has a fantastic technique, he has a lot of passion and he gave us a lot in the position he played in. He was always in the right position at his best level. He helped us a lot.”
“Rodri trained a little on the pitch, our plan is for him to arrive on Monday to be with the group. I’m glad he’s here, he’s a leader, a fantastic player with a great personality.”
Flick’s words suggest Cancelo is fit enough to start, which shows João’s commitment to get in playing shape while he waited for his transfer to come through in the last couple of weeks. Cancelo knows the system and what will be asked of him, so he doesn’t need as much training time to be ready to play.
As for Rodri, his presence in the opener was always in doubt given how late he joined the squad and how little time he’s had on the pitch following his vacation and his recovery from minor back surgery, but we’ll surely see his debut sooner rather than later.
