Barcelona midfielder Casado reveals: Flick believed in me, says Carlos Volcano

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has informed team executives that a new midfielder is no longer necessary in the January transfer window, attributing this decision to the impressive form of Casado.

And the youngster said from the Spain U21 camp: "I knew what I had to do with my club and I had to wait for the opportunity. See if it would come or not. It didn't come then, but I'm happy to have this opportunity now.

"It's been pretty good. It started quite late for me because we had the playoffs in Córdoba with the reserve team. We weren't able to go up, but a week before playing the final I signed a new contract with the club. The club told me that Flick trusted me, that he had seen me and liked me, but that he wanted to see me in person during the pre-season.

"Afterwards I had two or three weeks of vacation and I started the pre-season with a lot of enthusiasm to be able to show the manager that I could do well on the pitch."