Barcelona wing-back Dani Alves has claimed that the club should have offered Eric Abidal a new deal.
The French defender was released by the Blaugrana this summer, and the Brazilian has insisted that ‘he does not understand’ the situation.
“I have taken the number 22 shirt because I love Abidal and I do not understand his situation,” he told RAC1.
“It was an unpleasant surprise to find out that he wouldn’t be continuing with us. For the huge efforts he made and for all that he has been through, they should have handed him a new deal.
“That upset me a lot because Abidal’s a guy who I love very much and I want him here, with us. Maybe there’s more to it than I know about. Barça showed that they are more than just a club for what they did to help him recover.
“For him to then leave leaves a bit of a bitter taste but anyway… Now he has to look to his own future. I am sure that he will continue to be an example to everyone around him where he is now,”
The Seleccao international then commented on Neymar’s arrival, new Coach Tata Martino and Cesc’s future.
“Everyone is getting hot under the collar talking about the relationship between Messi and Neymar. He’s come here to learn and be just another member of the team.
“Those who are worried have no need to be. Neymar may not be the main man now but he is training hard and every day, he seems more settled in.
“I didn’t know about Tata’s philosophy about the game or his working methods. Once I began training under him, I started to notice a lot of things which I like.
“All of us are delighted that he is with us. He has brought his own ideas about how he wants the team to defend and we’ll be trying to adapt to his ideas.
“We tend to use a zonal defending system but he’s changed that. The key to success is being able to adapt and take new ideas on board. We’ll put a few of his ideas into practice and see if it works better for us.
“Cesc already left Barça once. He left, made a name for himself and came back.
“He had a great start on his return and then, for others reason concerning the team which I mentioned earlier, he wasn’t able to maintain that level he had at the beginning.
“It’s up to him what he does but I think he can bring a lot to this side. The team needs players of Cesc’s quality to win trophies”.