Barcelona head coach Xavi has on Wednesday provided his take on the ongoing drama surrounding youngster Vitor Roque.
The name of frontman Roque has of course dominated the headlines in Catalunya’s capital for several weeks now.
As much comes amid mounting claims that the Brazilian is being lined up for a move away from Barcelona, just six months on from his arrival.
Struggling to carve out a place for himself in boss Xavi’s frontline, it has been suggested that the brass at the Camp Nou are even ready to take into consideration a permanent sale.
Speaking in his latest press conference on Wednesday, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of the ongoing chatter surrounding his struggling frontman was put to Barcelona’s headmaster.
Xavi, however, was keen to play the matter down.
Adamant that the situation has been blown entirely out of proportion, the Spanish tactician was adamant that Roque simply needs more time to develop:
“The initial plan was for Vitor Roque to join us in July, not in January but due to injuries we anticipated the deal. Vitor has to develop, we have a lot of big players. I don’t understand the ‘Roque case’. He’s a young player learning and he needs to develop.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
