Xavi praises Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí: ‘He’s very young but he’s ready’
Barcelona continue to produce great young talent year after year, and a new promising youngster made his debut in midweek: 16-year-old center-back Pau Cubarsí made his first appearance for the senior side in the Copa del Rey win against Unionistas de Salamanca, playing the entire second half in place of Andreas Christensen.
Cubarsí impressed in his 45 minutes on the pitch, with excellent poise and accuracy on the ball combined with solid physicality and anticipation. He looked ready for the moment, and looks to have all the tools to be a very good Barça center-back in the future.
And his coach thinks the same. Xavi Hernández was asked about Cubarsí ahead of Sunday’s La Liga match away to Real Betis, and the boss sounded very confident in the young defender’s ability to contribute right away and didn’t even rule out his participation in this weekend’s game if necessary.
“Cubarsí is ready to play tomorrow and in any game. He played with great personality in the Cup and he did very well. We have a lot of hope for him. He’s very young but we believe he’s ready.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo
Xavi has not been shy about giving youngsters opportunities throughout his time as Barça boss, and Cubarsí seems to already have the coach’s trust. With several injuries to the defense there could be more chances available for the young center-back, and Xavi seems more than willing to give him those chances.
