Xavi has made his feelings clear on Man Utd as INEOS 'make calls' to former Barcelona manager

Barcelona legend Xavi has spoken out about Manchester United amid reports INEOS have spoken to the former manager in recent weeks.

Following the end of the 2023/24 season, former Barcelona manager Xavi parted ways with his beloved club and has remained out of work since.

The Spaniard was previously linked as a potential candidate to replace Erik ten Hag at United owners last summer, but INEOS ultimately decided to keep faith in the Dutch manager, before eventually replacing him with current boss Ruben Amorim.

But, with Amorim currently struggling at United, links between Xavi and the Premier League side have resurfaced, but the Barcelona great has already made his feelings towards United and their current form clear.

A report from Spanish outlet Relevo has claimed that several clubs, including United, have called Xavi throughout the season but he remains committed to completing his sabbatical year.

However, Xavi and his team are said to have made it clear that that they wanted to start their next project from scratch, with the idea of taking on a competitive project in the long term, making a move in the summer more likely.

Although he rejected United's advances last summer, Xavi reportedly has not ruled out joining United ahead of next season, should Amorim fail to turn the current campaign around.

It's clear that Xavi has a clear admiration for United, as he praised their progress under Ten Hag comments following Barcelona's Europa League clash with United in 2023.

Speaking to TNT Sport, Xavi said: “I think Manchester is coming back, and they showed their best. We need to be proud.

Xavi is expected to return to management in the 2025/26 season. (Image: Getty)

“I think both teams are more or less in the same moment, in the same position, that we are coming back. I said to Ten Hag now, 'Congratulations,' because he’s doing very well and they are Manchester United.

"It can be a final, a semi-final, a quarter-final maybe in the future of the Champions League, but now we are in the Europa League and we are coming back."

Of course, Xavi's assessment of the two clubs wasn't quite right as Barcelona currently find themselves on top of the La Liga table and remain one of the favourites to win the 2025 Champions League, while United sit 15th in the Premier League table.