It’s a fact of life that time waits for no man, and, as unpalatable a thought as it may be, in a few short years time, Barca will be bereft of those players who’ve seen the club through its most glorious period to date.
Messi, Pique, Alba... they’ll all be following the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta out of the Camp Nou exit door.
The midfielder’s time with Barca, though clearly not at an end just yet, may be hastened by the emergence of Arthur Melo and Frenkie de Jong as a real pairing of note.