Marc Bernal has been available again for roughly three and a half months following his injury setback, yet his involvement under Hansi Flick has remained limited. The Barcelona coach has opted for a cautious approach, which has sparked debate locally about whether the midfielder’s development would be better served elsewhere.
Marc Bernal has been available again for roughly three and a half months following his injury setback, yet his involvement under Hansi Flick has remained limited. The Barcelona coach has opted for a cautious approach, which has sparked debate locally about whether the midfielder’s development would be better served elsewhere.
So far, Bernal has logged just 189 minutes across seven outings. He has featured from the opening whistle only once and did not complete that match, being substituted at the interval against Alavés. The lack of sustained playing time has fuelled speculation surrounding his short-term future.
Interest from Girona in a temporary move until the season’s conclusion emerged earlier, while reports in December suggested the player was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with his role and open to a short spell away from Camp Nou.
However, Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona have no plans to sanction a departure unless their position changes unexpectedly. Club officials were pleased with Bernal’s physical progress toward the end of 2025 and feel that this could translate into increased involvement during the latter part of the campaign. Although Bernal has not completely dismissed the idea of leaving, he is not actively pushing for an exit.
This stance aligns with a recent Sport report indicating that Flick believes Bernal can bring renewed energy to the squad moving into 2026. The coaching team deliberately avoided exposing him to high-pressure fixtures soon after his return, but ongoing inconsistency within the side has limited opportunities to introduce him in lower-stakes situations.
Flick has publicly stated that Bernal will see more action, and upcoming fixtures may allow that promise to be fulfilled. With Copa del Rey matches ahead and games scheduled against Slavia Prague and Copenhagen, Barcelona are expected to rotate more. The plan is for Bernal to gradually establish himself as a dependable option for squad rotation rather than remaining on the fringes.
