Barcelona Manager Ernesto Valverde Reportedly Plans to Promote 5 La Masia Stars

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has reportedly identified five players from the club's La Masia academy who he feels could play a role in the first team in the near future. 

Valverde's own future was addressed recently when he signed a one-year extension to his contract. It means he will remain in charge at the club until the end of the 2019-20 season, and there is an option to extend by another year as well:

According to Jordi Gil of Sport, one of the key discussion points between the Spanish manager and Barca when his extension was being agreed was La Masia.

Both parties want academy players given a chance in the Barcelona first team if they showed the adequate qualities.

And, per Gil, Valverde has now identified Moussa Wague, Juan Miranda, Oriol Busquets, Riqui Puig and Abel Ruiz as the most likely of the new generation to earn a senior spot.

None of the five have yet to appear for Barca in La Liga, but left-back Miranda, 19, did play against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League at the end of 2018:

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Busquets, a potential midfield successor for his namesake Sergio, debuted for the senior side in 2017 in the Copa del Rey but then suffered a serious knee injury early in 2018:

Puig, 19, is another midfielder who was given a chance in the Copa when Barca beat Cultural Leonesa 4–1 in December:

Wague, 20, and Ruiz, 19, are yet to be given any competitive minutes for Barcelona's senior side but are both exciting prospects.

Right-back Wague already has 12 senior caps for the Senegal national team:

And Spaniard Ruiz looks to have the ability to take up the striker's role long term in the senior side, but he has recently struggled with injury:

Barcelona are in a position where many of their key players are the wrong side of 30.

Lionel Messi continues to perform to an incredibly high level but is now 31, and Luis Suarez, 32, cannot have much longer left at the highest level.

The Blaugrana have long had a tradition of promoting their academy players into the first team, and if they can find long-term replacements for the likes of Busquets, 30, Messi and Suarez in La Masia, it will be a big boost for the club.