Manager says “not my business” how Alonso’s Real Madrid tenure ended
Hansi Flick says new loan signing Joao Cancelo can help improve Barcelona’s attacking play as they aim for more trophies this season.
Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup last weekend in Jeddah with a 3-2 win over Real Madrid, and then this week they concluded a deal to bring Cancelo back to Spain from Al-Hilal. The right-back position is likely to be where he will primarily be deployed, but the Portuguese can play in both full-back positions and Flick particularly values his abilities going forward.
“Cancelo can play in several positions, he is fantastic in that sense,” Flick said. “He has quality in attack, something we also need. When we are in the final third, we need quality.”
Barcelona face Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey on Thursday and Flick said Cancelo could feature.
“I think he can play some minutes in Santander,” Barcelona’s manager said. “In our mind, it is that he can play some minutes.”
Flick was also asked about Xabi Alonso, who was dismissed only a day after Flick’s side defeated Madrid to lift the Spanish Super Cup.
“It’s not my business,” Flick said. “I have a very good relationship with Xabi. We met in Leverkusen and have stayed in touch. He’s a fantastic coach. I wish him all the best in his next big project. All the best for him.
“It’s part of football. The club has to believe in you, and so does the team. Those who make the decisions have to do so. But it’s not my business, I don’t want to talk about it, because a coach’s job is very complicated, we have a lot of responsibilities.”
