“So much goosebumps”, “Prayed for times like this” - Barcelona fans delighted with 24-year-old star dropped from line-up to face Valladolid

Fans reacted as Barcelona boss Hansi Flick named his line-up to take on Real Valladolid at home on Saturday. The Blaugrana lead the standings after three games.

Flick's side commenced their campaign with a 2-1 win at Valencia, with Robert Lewandowski starring with a brace. The Blaugrana repeated the scoreline at home to Athletic Bilbao, with Lewandowski scoring again, whil Lamine Yamal also got on the scoresheet.

It was a trio of 2-1 wins, as they won 2-1 at Rayo Vallecano, with Pedri and new signing Dani Olmo scoring the goals. All four goalscorers start in the home clash with Valladolid, with Torres, 24, relegated to the bench.

Fans expressed their delight to see the former Manchester City man making the bench, with one tweeting:

"No Ferran, we prayed for times like thisssss"

Another posted:

"Not seeing Ferran Torres in this line-up gives me so much goosebumps man"

There were similar reactions from other fans, with one tweeting:

"Ferran Torres benched, of course we are happy"

Another chimed in:

"No Ferran, we prayed for times like thisssss"

One fan posted:

"Finally, Ferran is on the bench."

Another wrote:

"At least no Ferran"

One fan posted:

"He's had enough of Ferran Torres"

Barca are two points clear of second-placed Villarreal (7) after three games.

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"Hopefully he can return after the break" - Barcelona boss on Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has provided an optimistic update on injured midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The 27-year-old hasn't featured for the club since April when he injured his ankle in the 3-2 El Clasico defeat at Real Madrid.

Initially estimated to be out for four to six weeks, the Dutchman was expected to be ready for the new season. However, De Jong has suffered a setback in his recovery, ruling him out of Euro 2024 action with the Netherlands as well, apparently ruling out surgery to be fit for the tournament.

Flick, though, reckons the Dutchman is nearing a full recovery and could be ready to return after the international break (as per SPORT via Barcanewsnetwork):

“I hope he doesn’t need surgery. He’s in the recovery process, and has made significant progress, and now we just have to wait. He’s training well, and we’ll see how things go. Hopefully, he can return after the break, but I can’t confirm that. The medical team is doing a great job.”

Since arriving from Ajax in the summer of 2019, De Jong has contributed 17 goals and 21 assists in 213 games across competitions for Barcelona.