As Barcelona were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Malaga on Saturday, Carles Alena watched on from the bench. The 18-year-old had taken Lionel Messi's place in the squad at the last minute, but remained an unused substitute as Barca slipped four points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
It was the third time he'd been named as substitute this season. He was also part of the party which travelled to Manchester City for the recent Champions League match, although he didn't make the bench on that occasion, and he's expected to play some part in next week's Copa del Rey game against Hercules.
Given the frequency of his involvement with the first team this season -- in training and in matches -- it's clear Barca boss Luis Enrique is a fan. He may not be the only one, though. Reports in England claim Jose Mourinho's Manchester United are keen on luring the attacking midfielder away from Catalonia.
Alena wouldn't be the first young player to be tempted away from Catalonia for the big money on offer in the Premier League. Hector Bellerin, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas are three of a number of players who left La Masia in their teenage years for English clubs. United may well be hoping that the difficult path to the first team at Camp Nou plays to their advantage.
Alena's father was a journeyman footballer who made his way around a number of lower-division sides, but his son's career couldn't have been more different to date. Born in 1998, he joined Barca as an eight-year-old and that's where he's remained ever since.
Progressing through the academy, Alena, who will turn 19 in January, is now the second youngest member of the Barca B team that currently sit top of the regionalised third division following Sunday's 2-0 against Lleida -- a game Alena started the day after watching Malaga from the bench.
It's often frivolous to seek comparisons while players are still developing, but the player himself has cited the importance of Andres Iniesta and Rivaldo to his career. Despite being just four when the latter left Barca for Milan, he had an impact on Alena's early years, while he dubbed Iniesta his idol in a recent interview.
Defending is a weakness and something he needs to work on - he has previously admitted "my weak point is defending, it's tough for me as a more attacking player" -- but going forward he is already physically and technically impressive. He often plays in a central role attacking midfield role, but he can play wider, too, and started on the right in the Catalan Super Cup against Espanyol last month.
He was far too good for many opponents in the UEFA Youth League last season -- scoring one brilliant individual goal -- and hasn't taken part in that competition this season, despite still being of a qualifiable age, as the club feel his progression has moved beyond that point.
Has it moved to the point where United could offer him the first team football Barca can't? Probably not. Sport reported English interest over a year ago, but insisted that the player was intent on carving out a career at Camp Nou. Given the glimpses of the first team Luis Enrique is giving him, that opinion is unlikely to have changed.