Unlike several fringe players at Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez wanted Miralem Pjanic to be part of his travelling troupe for pre-season in the United States. Neto, Oscar Mingueza, Samuel Umtiti, Riqui Puig and Martin Braithwaite were all left behind to find new clubs.
Pjanic earned minutes during Barcelona’s first pre-season friendly against Catalan side Olot but is yet to feature on their tour of the United States as he had to return to Europe to attend the birth of his second son. Speaking as carried by AS, Pjanic has been on the record as explaining how much he’s enjoying working under the tutelage of a coach who was as good a midfielder as Xavi.
Pjanic, a highly experienced Bosnian international with 107 caps to his name, began his career in France with Metz. Throughout his well-travelled career he also represented Lyon, Roma and Juventus. He joined Barcelona in the summer of 2020 but has failed to make much of an impact at Camp Nou, spending last season on loan in Turkey with Besiktas.
