Sergino Dest on relationship with Xavi and exit from Barcelona - 'I don't think he was honest with me'
Updated 14/10/2024 at 10:27 GMT+1
Former Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest says he did not feel he had "necessary opportunities" during his stint at the Catalan club under former boss Xavi, and suggested that the Barca great had been dishonest during conversations around his future at the club. The United States international, who joined Barcelona in 2020, moved to PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer in the summer.
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Sergino Dest has accused former Barcelona boss Xavi of not being "honest" with him towards the end of his time in Catalonia, with the full-back claiming he was not given the "necessary opportunities".
Dest joined Barca in June 2020 and was a regular starter under Ronald Koeman in his debut season, making 44 appearances.
Dest featured 31 times for Barca the following season, as management changed from the hands of Koeman to club legend Xavi.
The United States international then fell out of favour, being shipped out on loan spells to AC Milan and PSV in the subsequent campaigns. The 23-year-old joined PSV on a permanent basis in the summer and does not reflect well on his time under Xavi at Barca.
“I don't think he was honest with me," Dest told Diario SPORT. "We had several conversations where he told me one thing, but then I doubted whether it was really true.
"In the summer, before going on holiday, he told me ‘I'm counting on you, don't read the press’. And as soon as I got back, he told me ‘you have to go’.”
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There have been added complications around Barca's transfer business in recent years, with the club only allowed to register a certain number of players due to financial fair play issues.
Dest went on to talk about his time at the club, and said he felt he had to "play within limits" in Xavi's system.
“I wouldn't say I regret it [time at Barca], because in the end, it wasn't something that depended on me," he said.
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"But I don't feel like I had the necessary opportunities with Xavi. I felt like I had to play within limits, that I wasn't myself. I wanted to join the attack, because that's my greatest virtue, but he asked me not to go up.
“It was an incredible and wonderful experience. I will always carry Barca in my heart. It was a shame that it had to end like this because I felt I could still be useful to the club. But when a new coach arrives and has his ideas, you can't change them."
Dest previously told The Athletic he "didn't get fair opportunities" after Xavi joined the club, adding that his "confidence level was a little lower".
The full-back has yet to play this season, as he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered earlier this year.
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