Atletico Madrid have not been known for their record of bringing through youngsters in recent years, but with Fernando Torres doing good work with the under-19s, there is hope that can show in the first team in the coming years.
Pablo Barrios has become an established part of the first team this season, and looks to be the first to crack the code since Saul Niguez.
One of the more promising academy graduates looks as if he will at least have a future in Spain’s professional divisions. Carlos Martin, 21, has been playing both up front and out wide for Atletico Madrid B this season, and has 20 goals in 33 appearances this season, as well as making four cameos for Diego Simeone in the senior side.
Diario AS claim that he is ‘synonymous with goals’, but also stands out for his versatility and work-rate. Martin scored Atletico’s only goal in a 1-1 draw with UCAM Murcia in the play-offs on Sunday, the first leg of the final. The winner will gain promotion to Primera RFEF, the third tier, after Los Rojiblancos saw off Espanyol B on 3-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, where Martin again got on the scoresheet.
The Madrid daily also go on to say that Martin is subject to plenty of interest above that level though, claiming that plenty of teams in Segunda and one or two in La Liga are considering making a loan offer for him this summer.
If he is attracting that interest, it seems more likely that Atleti will loan him out rather than keeping him with the B team, regardless of whether they earn promotion. The likes of Rodrigo Riquelme and Sergio Camello are evidence that Los Colchoneros prefer players to gain experience elsewhere in the top tier as a general rule, rather than going straight into the first team.
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