Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says there is still time for full-back Martin Montoya to turn the situation around and secure a long-term future at the Camp Nou.
Montoya's agent Juan de Dios Carrasco called last week for clubs interested in signing the former Spain under-21 international to make contact with Barcelona, as his client had grown fed up with a lack of opportunities at first team level, especially after another right-back Douglas was signed for 5.5 million euros from Sao Paulo last summer.
Reportedly a target for Juventus, Arsenal and Liverpool, Montoya was then given just a second start of the season in Tuesday's 8-1 Copa del Rey last 32 second leg win against third-tier Huesca at the Camp Nou.
Speaking after his news conference after that game, the Blaugrana boss said there was a lot of competition for places in the full-back positions, but it remained possible for the La Masia graduate, now 23, to prove he deserved to play more often.
"When [Montoya] trains I can see the level and potential that he has," Luis Enrique said. "I know him. Any player can turn around any situation. This opportunity has come up for him, and he played very well. For me, it is fantastic to be able to choose."
Tuesday's game at the Camp Nou also saw young winger Adama Traore grab his first senior goal, taking advantage of a 16-minute substitute appearance to score an excellent solo effort.
Traore, 18, is set to become a first team squad player under the terms of his current contract, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Asked if his cameo appearance had proven he deserved more of a chance in the first team, Luis Enrique said the media always built up such situations so to later criticise the coach's selections.
"It is all a process, this is Barca," he said. "I have very good players. [Traore] is good enough to play in the first team, without doubt, but he must wait. You know what happens. You [journalists] draw conclusions after five or ten minutes. He is on his way to the first team. But if he does not play, we will ask why he does not play more."