An insight into the lack of playing time afforded to Vitor Roque during Barcelona’s meeting with Unionistas has been provided late this evening.
Barca, of course, are fresh off booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
After a concerning 4-1 defeat at the hands of arch rivals Real Madrid last weekend, the Blaugrana made the trip to aforementioned minnows Unionistas, desperate for a return to winning ways.
And, when all was said and done, this is precisely what they secured, courtesy of goals from all of Ferran Torres, Jules Koundé, and Alejandro Balde.
And yet, on a largely positive night for their side, many of a Barcelona persuasion were nevertheless quick to make their frustrations known post-match.
This came owing to the playing time, or rather lack thereof, handed to frontman Vitor Roque.
Youngster Roque, of course, linked up with Xavi’s squad this month, in a big-money move from Brazilian outfit Athletico Paranaense.
His start to life in Catalunya, however, has proven a difficult one, with the 18-year-old, before tonight, have managed just 38 minutes of playing time.
With Unionistas plying their trade in the third tier of Spanish football, the widespread expectation was in turn that Roque would on Thursday be afforded a more prolonged opportunity to showcase his talents.
This, however, did not prove to be the case.
Instead, the Brazilian international was introduced off the bench with a full 82 minutes on the clock, and Barca already out of sight.
Speaking to the media post-match, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of Roque’s latest outing was put to Blaugrana headmaster Xavi Hernández.
And the Spanish tactician was quick to play down any and all concerns.
This comes with Roque having been suffering with ‘discomfort’ in the buildup to the clash, and therefore in line for an increase in game time ‘later on’:
“Vitor Roque has had some discomfort,” Xavi began. “That’s why he only had a few minutes. He will play more later on.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
