Andre Gomes, 24, arrived with high expectations from the Barca technical team after forging himself a reputation as a technically proficient midfielder at Valencia, prior to his £32m (R526m) transfer to the Blaugrana.
While his move was greeted with much scepticism from fans at the time, due to the Portugal international's lack of profile on the global stage, Gomes enjoyed a decent start to life at the LaLiga giants.
But in the current season, a return of one assist and no goals in 25 games and cameo roles as a right full-back have seen the former Benfica youth product on the brink of an exit.
"I don't feel well on the field, I am not enjoying the thing I like to do. The first six months were pretty good but then things changed. Maybe it's not the correct word but it turned into a bit of a hell because I started to feel more pressure. With pressure, I feel fine, but with pressure on myself, I don't. The feeling that I have during games is bad," he told Paneka magazine.
"On more than one occasion, I didn't want to leave my house. Because people look at you, having the fear of going on the street out of shame. My friends tell me I am going with the handbrake on. I close myself off. I don't take the frustration I have out.
"Then I don't talk to anybody, I don't bother anyone. It is like I feel ashamed. Thinking too much has hurt me. I think about the bad things and what I have to do. Although my teammates help me a lot, the things don't work out the way they want them to work out."