Report: How Xavi felt about Joao Cancelo prior to shock Barcelona exit

Some behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding how Xavi viewed Manchester City loanee, Joao Cancelo, before his exit from Barcelona.

The defender spent the season on loan at the Spanish club, with Xavi being his manager for the campaign.

After being insistent since January that he’d be leaving the club, Xavi was then convinced by the club to stay on for next season back in April.

However, just a month after convincing him to stay, the Spanish club sacked the former midfielder, with Hansi Flick set to replace him.

Now though, behind-the-scenes details have emerged about what the Spaniard thought about Cancelo and what he would have done with him heading into the upcoming summer transfer window.

Xavi’s plan for Cancelo prior to Barcelona exit

According to a recent report from Marca, Xavi would have chosen to not secure a new loan or permanent deal for Cancelo this summer as the Spaniard did not find the full-back reliable enough due to his poor run of form in the final weeks of the season.

Throughout the season, the 30-year-old started 38 of the 42 games he appeared in across La Liga and the Champions League.

It could be another interesting summer for Cancelo

Across his 32 La Liga games, Cancelo ended the campaign with the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (93) in the Barcelona squad and made more blocks (35) than any other player at the club.

The Portuguese international’s overall performances earned him a respectable season rating of 7.09/10 from WhoScored, making him the fifth-highest-rated player at Barcelona.

Even though he’s statistically had a fairly successful individual season in Spain, the fact that Cancelo still couldn’t manage to convince Xavi to make Barcelona pursue another deal for him this summer may surprise some.

Now that another managerial change looks set to happen at Barcelona, Cancelo’s future is definitely something that will be worth keeping an eye on throughout the upcoming summer transfer window.