Barcelona manager Xavi has a lot of praise for Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, partly for squeezing top form out of some of his players, including Bruno Fernandes, who he referred to as ‘the Portuguese guy’.
The two European giants meet again on Thursday night at Old Trafford after the first leg of their Europa League play-off finished 2-2 at the Camp Nou last week.
Xavi has been impressed by Ten Hag’s work so far as Red Devils manager, praising his tactical acumen, while picking out four players who are playing at the top of their game.
Unfortunately for Fernandes, the Barca legend just couldn’t quite remember his name at the time.
‘He is very good, I like him a lot,’ Xavi told The Times of Ten Hag. ‘He has built a team and is getting the best out of all his players. That speaks well of him.
‘Tactically he is very good and he handles the dressing room very well. He is getting all the talent out of his players.
‘You see [Jadon] Sancho, [Marcus] Rashford, the Portuguese guy [Bruno Fernandes]. And look how Fred is playing . . .’
Barcelona have been in fabulous form, currently sitting eight points clear at the top of La Liga so United did well to hold them to a draw on their own turf.
Xavi knows it will be a tough challenge for his team in Manchester, but intends to go and attack Ten Hag’s men at Old Trafford.
‘Difficult? Well, we’ve known that since [the draw was made],’ he said. ‘We are a brave team that likes to attack and always win. [This game] will not be an exception.’
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