On Wednesday, it was widely reported that Xavi Hernandez had reversed his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season. Less than 24 hours later, this was confirmed, with the 44-year-old now staying on for the 2024-25 campaign.
Xavi announced in January that he would be stepping down, and he claimed on many occasions that he wouldn’t go back on that decision. As such, it was surprising that he opted to stay on, and it wasn’t only fans of Barcelona that were curiously watching the situation unfold earlier this week.
Xavi: "Yesterday in a couple of minutes, we understood that this was the best decision. I'm very grateful that I can continue. We're now eager to bring stability to the club."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 25, 2024
As reported by Relevo, the Barcelona managerial situation was being followed by Manchester United, who had Xavi on their list as a candidate to succeed Erik ten Hag, who has come under increasing pressure over the last few months. The Premier League giants saw Xavi as a young coach with the ability to take on a major project.
News of Xavi’s U-turn was met with disappointed in Man United’s offices, and it means that they will have to look elsewhere if they do indeed sack ten Hag, which many expect to be the case. Barcelona won’t care much about this, as Joan Laporta, Deco and co have got their man for at least another 12 months.
