Matheus Fernandes has alleged that Ronald Koeman has something personal against him in an interview in Mundo Deportivo with comments carried by Marca. The Brazilian, signed by Barcelona in January 2020, has played 17 minutes all season.
“I think Koeman has something personal against me,” Fernandes said. “Why? I don’t know. At first I started to play a little more. The coach told me that I wouldn’t have many opportunities, but that I’d have some. I’ve only played 17 minutes and I don’t understand why; there are games where I could have played easily, like some other players.
“I don’t know what’s going on in the coach’s head. I think we could have talked to each other more, the coach and me. The days before the games, which were more tactical, I hardly trained with the group. I always thought it was a personal thing because he didn’t talk to me.”
The Blaugrana signed the Brazilian from Palmeiras for a fixed €7m plus €3m in variables and then sent him on loan to Real Valladolid. Since returning to Catalonia, he’s been given very little game-time in Koeman‘s team.
Fernandes was never officially presented as a Barcelona player. The bad luck that haunted him at Valladolid accompanied him upon his return to Barcelona, with bureaucratic issues delaying his debut with Pucela and then a covid-19 positive hampering him even further, with the Brazilian playing just three games.
He was put in the shop window in the summer market but chose to stay and fight for minutes, then suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out of action from the middle of September until the end of October.
