Hansi Flick has named one 'untouchable' player at Barcelona following his appointment as Xavi's replacement
Hansi Flick has named ONE 'untouchable' player at Barcelona following his appointment.
Flick, who was sacked by Germany last year, has replaced Xavi, who was relieved of his duties last week.
The German has penned a two-year contract as he embarks on his first managerial gig outside of Germany.
He was their national team head coach and managed Bayern Munich, where he guided them to a treble in 2020, winning the Bundesliga, German Cup and the Champions League.
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The 59-year-old is tasked with winning silverware at the Camp Nou following a trophy-less campaign this season.
And ahead of what could be a potentially busy summer transfer window, Flick has named the 'untouchable' player within his squad.
According to local journalist Roger Torello, Frenkie de Jong is an 'untouchable' player.
De Jong has been at Barca since the summer of 2019 following an impressive spell at Ajax.
But he has been the subject of intense transfer speculation, with Erik ten Hag wanting to bring him to Manchester United following his appointment at Old Trafford.
Barca's financial struggles led to widespread rumours over De Jong's future in Catalunya.
But Flick has no desire to offload the Dutch midfielder, who appears to be a key player under his management ahead of the new season.
The 27-year-old played 30 games across all competitions this season, including 20 La Liga appearances.
His campaign, however, was cut short in April when he suffered an ankle injury against Real Madrid.
Flick, meanwhile, succeeds Xavi, who guided his old side to league glory in the 2022/23 season.
On his appointment, he said: "First of all I would like to say thank you to everyone (involved). It's a big honour and also a dream for me to sign my contract here in Barcelona, to work for this amazing club, and I'm happy to start.
"The club is unbelievable. The hours I'm here in Barcelona, it's amazing because everyone here in the club loves this club and tries to give their best so they have success.
"The philosophy they have is similar to mine - ball possession and really attacking football, these are the things I love.
"I won some titles with Bayern Munich and my hunger is really big for titles. I would like to stay on this path with Barcelona and I think we can achieve a lot together."
Topics: Frenkie De Jong, Football, FC Barcelona
Nasir Jabbar