Ronald Koeman says he was especially impressed with United States youth international Konrad de la Fuente as Barcelona continued their preparations for the new season by beating Girona 3-1 on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi scored twice -- his first goals for the club since he tried to leave last month -- and Philippe Coutinho was also on target as Barca made it two wins in two friendlies under Koeman.
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The Barca boss used the game to take a further look at a number of the youngsters who have been involved with the first team during preseason, including Konrad, Pedri and Riqui Puig.
"We know we have really good young players here," Koeman told a news conference after the match. "The important thing is being involved in training at a good level and then taking that into these friendly games.
"If I had to highlight one of the youngsters, I would say Konrad, I am really happy with him. But we also have Pedri, Riqui. We have great a future ahead of us."
Konrad, 19, became the first player from the U.S. to play for Barca when he came on in Saturday's win over Gimnastic Tarragona. He had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside during a 45-minute cameo.
The U.S winger came on for the final half-hour against Girona, replacing Coutinho on the left of the attack. His pace caused the second-division side problems and he created a great chance for Pedri, who was denied by a brilliant save from Jose Suarez.
The Miami native, who signed a new contract at Camp Nou earlier this summer, is expected to be with the B team this season in the Spanish third division, although his performances in preseason have done his first-team chances no harm.
Another player having a good preseason is Coutinho. The Brazilian has scored in each of his two appearances so far and will be given a second chance at the club under Koeman following a year on loan at Bayern Munich.
U.S. youth Konrad de la Fuente, right, vies for the ball during a friendly against Gimnastic on Sept. 12. Getty Images
"Coutinho's doing really well," Koeman said of Barca's record signing. "I think he's feeling good, he's training and playing well. He has a lot of quality and we have to keep that in mind. All players need support and help from their coaches."
Meanwhile, Luis Suarez's future remains uncertain. He was left out of the squad for the second game running and Koeman says he still doesn't know if the striker will leave the club or not.
"I was speaking with Suarez this morning," the Dutch coach added. "We're waiting to see if he goes or not, we still don't know. We respect all contracts here and, if he ends up staying, he will be part of the squad."
Barca are next in action when they host Elche in their final friendly before the season on Saturday. Their La Liga campaign starts the following weekend with a home game against Unai Emery's Villarreal.
Source: espn.co.uk