“He has a future” - Rivaldo accuses Barcelona of not giving enough chances to player linked with transfer
Brazil legend Rivaldo has questioned Xavi's decision not to give opportunities to Vitor Roque at Barcelona. He accused the manager of not using the forward well despite signing him with big hopes.
Speaking to SPORT, Rivaldo opined that Roque had a bright future but was puzzled as to why he did not get enough chances to prove himself at Barcelona. The former Ballon d'Or winner said:
"I think Vitor Roque has lacked opportunities. They have given very few minutes to a player who has excelled in the Brazilian championship. He is very young and has not had the necessary chances to show his football. Sometimes this happens. He has not had opportunities and now they believe that the player will not be useful for the club, so they will look for a transfer. I think Barça didn't know how to give him more opportunities and he is a good player, he has a future."
He claimed that it could also be a behind-the-scenes issue where the player arrived late for training or was not preparing well for games. He said:
"From the outside, I don't know exactly what happened, and I don't know what his day-to-day life is like in training to see if he deserved a chance. But we know what he did at Athletico Paranaense and the Brazilian Championship. I don't know if it was a lack of opportunities or if he didn't show it in training at Barça and that's why he didn't get the chance."
Roque has made 13 appearances in La Liga and Copa del Rey since moving to Barcelona. However, he has got just 301 minutes under his belt but has scored twice.
Barcelona star's agent threatens to force transfer away this summer
Vitor Roque's agent Andre Cury was furious with Xavi on Sunday night and accused the manager of cutting ties with the young Brazilian. He told RAC1 that the Barcelona manager was not communicating with his client and said:
"He will not leave on loan. If he leaves, it will be on permanent transfer. No one understands why Xavi doesn't play him and doesn't even speak to Vitor, it's not right. We will discuss his future with Barça soon. We chose Barça because Vitor loves the club, imagine that we really had other proposals that gave us twice as much. But if we can't find a solution internally, we will have to look for another place on permanent transfer."
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Tottenham Hotspur were interested in signing the Brazilian. The London side were also ready to pay more than the Catalan side, but the young forward opted to move to the Blaugrana.