3 Barcelona players who could benefit from Quique Setien's appointment

#2 Arthur

Injuries and inconsistency has seen Arthur turn into somewhat of a forgotten man

It wasn't too long ago that Barca fans were heralding Arthur as the heir to Xavi's throne in midfield. With a fresh start under new ideas, there's no reason why the Brazilian cannot fulfil that potential - provided he stays fit.

His last outing was on 1 December, during Barcelona's last-gasp 1-0 away win over Atletico. The 23-year-old has only made 12 appearances (all comps) this term; troublesome injuries and inconsistency have seen him fall down the pecking order, in a team whose midfield seems both unorganized and vulnerable at times.

Barcelona have excellent individuals, but those have failed to truly mesh together as a collective unit. And there's no reason why Arthur's impending return cannot help them do that.

Comfortable in possession, Arthur is a confident ball-distributor who takes calculated risks under pressure as he roams through midfield.

Valverde urged him to get more involved with goals and assists in the final third - such are his creative abilities. But he also relishes putting in a defensive shift when needed, while being much younger than the inconsistent pair of Ivan Rakitic (31) and Arturo Vidal (32).

Recency bias means Frenkie de Jong is Barca's shiny new toy, after joining from Ajax for £67.5m last summer. Nonetheless, Arthur is slated to return soon, and that news comes at an opportune time; there's a new boss to impress as he aims to thrive at the business end of what has been a frustrating campaign so far.