Given that Hansi Flick has reportedly asked Barcelona to sign a new right-back, you could be mistaken for thinking that Hector Fort is not counted on. The young defender has struggled for consistent minutes this season, and he only started against Rayo Vallecano on Monday because Jules Kounde was dropped due to a disciplinary issue.
Fort was promoted to the Barcelona first team last season by then-head coach Xavi Hernandez, who used him much more regularly than Flick has. The decision of the German manager has led to some raised eyebrows, although it has not been helped that Kounde has been in spectacular form throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
It is not true that Flick does not count on Fort – if anything, it is completely incorrect, with Sport having opened up on the dynamic between the two.
Flick has been “tutoring” Fort over the last few months, as per the report. His idea is for the teenager to do lots of learning and maturing during the season, and if a new right-back does arrive in the summer, the youngster will then have the opportunity to play regular first team football before making a return to Barcelona in 2026.
Fort could have left Barcelona on loan during the recent winter transfer window, as the likes of Valencia and Como came in to temporarily acquire his services. However, the player himself turned down the offers, and this delighted Flick, who was keen to ensure that the defender stayed in his squad until the summer.
Fort has only started three matches for Barcelona this season, albeit they have won all three (vs Alaves, Espanyol and Rayo). Flick has been pleased with his development over the past several months, and the idea is for him to keep getting better and better, regardless of whether he plays many minutes between now and the summer.
