Rafinha Alcantarais almost the forgotten man at Barcelona.Since his season-ending injury during the Champions League game against Roma, Barca have gone from strength to strength and dominated in all competitions.And in Sergi Roberto particularly, the Catalans have had a man for all seasons who's filled in wherever necessary, including on the left side that Rafinha would normally populate.Add Arda Turan into the equation and you can begin to see why the long road back to fitness for the youngster will be a depressingly hard one too.Not that it has deterred the player, who is already back in training with the first team.One thing that has always authored Rafinha's natural game is his fighting spirit, and that's something that's clearly in evidence here.Never one to shirk a challenge on the pitch, he's approaching the one off it head-on.Arguably the signing of a new contract at the club back in November, which takes him up to 2020, has eased the path back to the first team.At the time, the player noted, via Barcelona's official site:Im very happy. Its very nice to be enjoying this. Barca is my home. I came here when I was just 13 and Im very happy to be here.Importantly, he retains the confidence of Luis Enrique too. The midfielder was heavily relied upon when both were at Celta Vigo, and the manager noted in a recent press conference, per Xavi Hernandez ofMarca:"Rafinha still has about a month and [a] half to two months to go."Everything is going great; he's feeling good, but we don't know if he'll be able to help us at the end of the season or whether he'll be back for the next one. You don't rush injuries of this nature."That Lucho even mentions the end of the current campaign suggests that Rafinha will be a consideration should everything go according to plan from this point onwards.And why not' Before the injury there was every reason to expect that the player was making headway for a more regular spot in the side.His mixture of skill and physicality isn't replicated to any great level throughout the side and perhaps only one or two team-matesare cut from the same cloth.Therefore, his entry point into certain games is assured.When the going gets tough, Barcelona need players like Alcantara to do whatever dirty work is needed.It's as important as any great moment of magic from the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. Indeed, it's worth arguing that such a way of playing is the platform from which Barca's superstars can work.If we also think about where Barca as a club are at with their La Masia development, it makes Rafinha's case for inclusion even stronger.Far from being the exemplar for youth academies at present, La Masia is on its knees.Take the team that played against Valencia in the "dead rubber" Copa del Rey semi final second leg. One or two of the youngster's impressed, most did not.Those talked up consistently in dispatches had the perfect opportunity to showcase their skills and suitability to the first team and they again failed to do so.For all of those clamouring for Marc Bartra to start in place of either Gerard Pique or Javier Mascherano, the game against Los Che told us that the manager's opinion has been correct all along. The same applies to others.With no realistic possibility of someone else coming through from Barca B to rattle a few egos in the near future, Rafinha's place is assured.How often he starts and how high up the Blaugrana ladder he progresses is largely his call.Injuries permitting, Barca have a player that is still equipped to go right to the very top.
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