U.S. international right back Sergino Dest believes ex-Barca head coach Xavi played a significant role in his failure to leave a mark with the La Liga giants.
Dest joined Barca in 2020 and had a promising start to his time at Nou Camp under head coach Ronald Koeman. However, once Koeman was sacked and replaced by Xavi, Dest became a fringe player and was sent on loans to AC Milan and PSV.
During a recent interview with Catalan media outlet Diario Sport, Dest said that he doesn’t feel he received a proper opportunity under Xavi. According to Dest, Xavi didn’t play him enough while wanting to change his style.
“I don’t feel I had the necessary chances with Xavi,” Dest said. “I felt like I had to play with limits; that I could not be myself. I want to join the attack, which is my biggest strength, but he asked me not to go forward.”
Additionally, Dest believes that Xavi wasn’t honest with him.
“I don’t think he was honest with me, either. We had several conversations in which he told me one thing but after I had doubts whether he really told me the truth,” he added.
Eventually, both Xavi and Dest went on to leave Barcelona at the end of 2023-24. Xavi was ousted after a disappointing season and replaced by German manager Hansi Flick. Dest, on the other hand, made a permanent switch to PSV following a successful loan campaign.
