Barcelona decide to recall loaned player after impressive form with his new club

Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo has confirmed that FC Barcelona are impressed with the progress of one of their loaned players and have already decided to bring him back following his eye-catching performances.

Barcelona are currently facing a defensive crisis due to Andreas Christensen’s injury, Ronald Araújo’s absence for psychological reasons following his red card against Chelsea, and the club’s failure to sign a left-sided centre-back to replace Iñigo Martínez.

These absences have forced Hansi Flick to reshuffle several players’ positions. As a result, Gerard Martín has been deployed as a left-sided centre-back, leaving Alejandro Balde as the only natural option at left-back.

Meanwhile, the German coach has also been compelled to use Eric García in a holding midfield role, leaving Jules Koundé as the sole right-back. This means that any injury to either full-back would leave the squad without a natural replacement.

For this reason, and after closely monitoring his development, Barcelona have decided to recall Héctor Fort at the end of the current season. The young defender is currently on loan at Elche.

Under Sarabia, Fort has become a regular starter and has delivered a high level of performance, scoring two goals and providing two assists, despite not yet reaching 500 minutes of playing time across league and cup competitions.

Héctor Fort reached the peak of his form in Elche’s most recent match against Rayo Vallecano, where he scored a superb goal and was named Man of the Match.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick is a big admirer of Fort and believes the loan spell has paid off, with the young player developing significantly after being given consistent minutes at a high competitive level.