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Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has already waved goodbye to veteran Gerard Pique this season but has made it clear he does not want Sergio Busquets to follow his team-mate out of the exit door yet.
Busquets has offered to quit the Camp Nou in the January transfer window, after coming in for criticism for some of his performances, but has seen his suggestion rejected by Xavi, as reported by Marca.
The coach sees Busquets’s presence in the squad for this season as “unquestionable” and is continuing to count on the 34-year-old for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.
Busquets is still facing an uncertain future at Barcelona. The midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and could decide to call time on his lengthy Barcelona career.
The midfielder has previously insisted he has not made a decision on what he will do next but will wait until after World Cup 2022. Busquets is currently in Qatar with the Spain squad for the tournament.
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De Jong To Replace Busquets?
Barcelona continue to be linked with a host of players who could come in and replace Busquets but may simply turn to Frenkie de Jong instead. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has already admitted that Busquets’s position is the best place for De Jong to play.
Xavi has previously said he prefers De Jong in a more advanced role but may be coming around to the idea after seeing the Dutchman impress during the current campaign for Barcelona.
The Catalans had been willing to sell De Jong in the summer transfer window but are now realizing that he is the “best replacement” for Busquets, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
De Jong has already admitted this season that he does not care where he plays for Barcelona, and he may end up being the long-term replacement for the captain at the Camp Nou.
Backing For Busquets
Busquets may be a fading force but he still has the full backing of Spain coach Luis Enrique ahead of the World Cup. The former Barca manager has explained why the midfielder remains so effective, as reported by ESPN.
“If we can control the type of match, and make it the one we want, meaning controlling possession and dominating the opponent around their defensive area of the pitch, then ‘Busi’ is still the No. 1 in his position,” he said. “If we let the game become a long-pass one, end-to-end football and abandon our style, then obviously, Busquets is no longer the ‘best’ pivote. But right across the panorama of world football, I don’t see anyone who’s better at interpreting and applying the way we want to play football. He’s the pillar upon which we base our attacking and our defensive play.”
Busquets will captain Spain at the World Cup and will be aiming to win the tournament for the second time in his career. The midfielder previously enjoyed success in 2010 when Spain were crowned world champions in South Africa.
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