Xavi being cautious with 18-year-old Barcelona gem as he is still not at 100% – report

The arrival of Vitor Roque in Barcelona towards the end of 2023 generated a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.

Barça had secured his signing from Athletico Paranaense in the summer itself, in a deal worth €30 million plus €31 million in add-ons. But FFP issues meant his arrival was postponed until this month so that he could be registered without any problems.

Roque yet to feature prominently at Barcelona

Roque made his debut against Las Palmas in La Liga early in January and then featured in the Copa del Rey Round of 32 clash versus UD Barbastro.

But the teenage striker went without a single minute during the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, although it was revealed that he had picked up some minor discomfort against Barbastro.

After that, it was widely expected that Roque would start last night in the Copa del Rey encounter against Unionistas de Salamanca. But it was not to be as Xavi opted to start with La Masia product Marc Guiu, much to everyone’s surprise.

Roque still not at 100%

Now, Sergi de Juan of AS has come out with a report, claiming that Xavi is being very cautious with the integration of Roque as he is still not at 100%.

It should not be forgotten that the club’s directors, together with the coaching staff, decided to bring forward the arrival of the Brazilian rather than signing another midfielder to replace the injured Gavi.

But, since arriving, Roque has had 12 minutes vs Las Palmas in La Liga, 26 vs Barbastro, and just over nine minutes vs Salamanca.

The striker has been out of action for a long time, considering that he had a long spell on the sidelines due to injury before arriving in Barcelona.

As such, Xavi believes he is not yet 100% fit to start. He considers that the Brazilian still needs competition rhythm, although for that to happen, the manager needs to feed him more minutes, for which yesterday’s game would have been ideal.