Although he is recovering from an ACL injury, Barcelona midfielder Rafinha ensured his future at the Camp Nou as he signed a new deal with the club.
Youngster remains on the sidelines
Rafinha injured his ACL in the Champions League against Roma two months ago when he was tackled by Radja Nainggolan and went down awkwardly. It was an extremly unfortunate injury as he had just come on a few minutes before and he was ruled out for almost the whole season.
The young Brazilian had a more advanced role as the season progressed last year, coming on in crucial moments for the club and provided offense for Barcelona through the midfield. He rose through the ranks of Barcelona and spend a couple of seasons on loan and on Barcelona B before being called up by Luis Enrique.
Five more years at Barca
But now he is locked up with Barcelona until 2020 and will look to be a mainstay in a changing midfield. Rafinha has also locked in a 75million Euro release clause, which shows how much Barcelona thinks his value and quality will grow as he gets more playing time.
He hasn't gotten any transfer rumblings to his name just yet but as he continues to grow as a player, some teams may come calling.
With Xavi moving on to Qatar and with Andres Iniesta getting up there in age, Barcelona need some new and younger midfielders. They recently brought in Ivan Rakitic and will look to rely on the likes of Rafinha and Sergi Roberto, who is had a marvelous game against Getafe, to head the ranks of the midfield again.
It was a very unfortunate injury to Rafinha as it basically ended his season and weakened Barcelona's midfield significantly till January, when the transfer embargo is lifted, but signing a new deal with the club shows how much they want him here.