Roque unhappy with game time, could leave Barcelona – agent

The agent of Vitor Roque has said he does not understand why the Brazil striker has been used so sparingly by Barcelona and suggested he could leave in the summer if the situation is not resolved.

Roque, 19, joined Barça for an initial €31 million ($33m) from Athletico Paranaense in January and has since scored two goals in 13 appearances, the majority of which have come off the bench.

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The youngster has been an unused substitute in Barça’s last four games, three of which they have lost, and his representative, Andre Cury, is not happy.

“Vitor Roque should have more minutes and no one understands why he’s not getting them,” Cury told RAC1.

“[Barça coach] Xavi [Hernández] has never spoken with the player and I don’t understand the situation. It’s not good for anyone.

“The kid has to work hard and wait for his chance, but there have already been a lot of games when he could have been given these minutes and a bigger role.

“In the 300 minutes he has played, he has scored two goals, which is possibly the best rate in the team. Xavi has given chances to Fermín [López], Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal, but not to Vitor Roque. I can’t explain it.”

Cury also highlighted that it took Vinícius Júnior time to become a regular at Real Madrid after joining the club in 2018, initially playing for the reserve team, but said the press in Barcelona are not affording Roque the same patience.

“In Barcelona, there is a lot of media who talk rubbish and say things that are not true,” Cury said.

“It does not help. Look at what happened with Vinícius at Madrid. He took two and a half years to play regularly and look at him now. Here in Barcelona, a mess is created after two months — people want to kill instead of help.”

Cury said Roque chose Barça despite having bigger offers from other clubs but that he may have to consider his future this summer if there is no room for him at the Catalan club.

However, despite reports in the local press of a loan to another Spanish team, Cury said if the player does move on, it will be on a permanent basis.

“If we chose Barça, because we had other options to earn double the amount, it is because we wanted to play for Barça,” he said.

“I am certain Vitor will be a great player, but if Barça don’t let him… The club, the coach or I don’t know what happens internally, we will have to look for another path.

“A loan for a young kid ends up damaging them because it’s going to a club that is not yours and they don’t have as much interest in looking after you. It’s dangerous for a kid’s career.

“The best thing is to stay at Barça, but if it cannot be, we will work on a permanent move away. We chose Barça for half of what we could have got elsewhere. We want to stay.”