Barcelona boss Xavi ready to turn to 16-year-old Cubarsí in absence of Andreas Christensen

An insight into the plans of Barcelona head coach Xavi, to cover for the loss of defender Andreas Christensen, has been provided late this evening.

Danish international Christensen, for his part, was forced into a premature departure from Barcelona’s Copa del Rey victory over Unionistas in midweek.

The former Chelsea man suffered a foot injury late in the first-half, since ruled out of the Blaugrana’s trip to Real Betis on Sunday evening as a result.

With Iñigo Martínez already sidelined, and Christensen potentially facing up to his own spell on the treatment table, the aforementioned Xavi, in turn, may well need to get creative with his central defensive rotations over the coming weeks.

And this could open the door for one of the most highly-regarded young talents in Catalunya’s capital to solidify his position as a regular first-team contributor.

The player in question? Pau Cubarsí.

Stopper Cubarsí, for his part, was the man chosen to replace Christensen at the heart of Barca’s defence on Thursday night.

This comes despite the Spanish youth international, remarkably, being just 16 years of age.

And, if the latest word stemming from the media is anything to go by, Cubarsí’s impressive showing against Unionistas could well be rewarded, by way of yet further action this weekend.

As per a report from Diario Sport, Xavi is giving serious consideration to utilising his latest La Masia call-up from the off against Real Betis.

Barca’s boss confirmed on Saturday that Cubarsí is ‘prepared to play’ in the clash, an opening which could well pave the way for yet more game time over the weeks to come, amid the ongoing issues at centre-half in Catalunya.

Conor Laird | GSFN