Barca winger joins Ajax on loan
Barcelona winger Isaac Cuenca, who has recently returned from a lengthy layoff after a knee operation, will play the rest of the season on loan at Ajax Amsterdam, the Dutch champions said on Thursday.
The promising 21-year-old, brought into the Barca first team by former coach Pep Guardiola last season before having surgery on his right knee at the end of the campaign, will join Ajax on a five-month deal, the club said.
"Cuenca is a welcome reinforcement as we still are active in three competitions and not always steady with our wingers," Ajax coach Frank de Boer told reporters after the 4-0 Dutch cup quarterfinal win over Vitesse Arnhem.
Barca confirmed the deal in a statement on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es) and said Ajax did not have an option to buy the player at the end of his loan stint.
A product of Barca's youth academy, Cuenca was given the all-clear by the La Liga club's medical staff on January 21 and has yet to play a match since his return.
He scored four goals in 30 appearances last season.
