Xavi counts on 23-year-old Barcelona loan returnee for next season | OneFootball

Young midfielder Alex Collado is keen to succeed at Barcelona and Xavi has reportedly informed him that he is counting on him for next season.

Spanish news outlet Diario SPORT says Xavi has personally communicated the message to Collado that he will be a member of the first team for the 2022/23 football season after missing out last term.

The versatile midfielder was left unregistered after failing to move Club Brugge and Sheffield United last campaign. This resulted in him missing out on competitive football until December when he was eventually signed by Granada on loan for the rest of the season.

Sport says Xavi’s intentions are pretty much clear and the player is excited about the idea too.

“I am looking forward to the end of the summer so I can return to the team and the fans,” said the 23-year-old following Catalonia’s recent 6-0 win over Jamaica.

Collado’s eagerness to play for Barcelona has impressed Xavi the most. The manager is galvanized by the idea that the player is keen to return despite the fact that the holidays have just begun.

On top of that, Collado gained a valuable experience at Granada where he played 17 games while scoring two goals and one assist.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old missed a mere two games this season and all the managers he played under – Robert Moreno, Ruben Torrecilla and Aitor Karanka – since January have trusted him with their approach.

During his loan tenure, the midfielder worked on his off the ball movement and he has succeeded pretty much at it. At Barcelona, although the style will be a bit different, he will indeed have to make use of everything he learned under the aforementioned managers at Granada.