Coach ‘leading’ race to become next Man Utd boss requests two Barcelona subs as first signings | OneFootball

Xavi wants to take two Barcelona squad players to Man Utd if he’s successful in replacing Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, according to reports.

Man Utd confirmed on Monday morning that the Premier League giants have sacked Amorim after their 1-1 draw against Leeds on Sunday.

The decision came after Amorim’s emotional rant at the hierarchy with speculation that their recruitment visions didn’t align and that the Portuguese coach had fallen out with Man Utd director of football Jason Wilcox.

Former Barcelona head coach Xavi, as well as many other managers, have been linked with the vacant position with European football expert Kevin Hatchard describing the Spaniard as a “realistic” target for Man Utd.

“There’s an irony about him being linked to Man Utd because why he ultimately left Barcelona was because he spoke up publicly about the club’s financial situation and about whether the club could continue to be competitive with the financial restrictions they had.

“He speaks good English and he’s a football obsessive, so I think he’d be an interesting candidate, but he wouldn’t be someone who would just go along with what the club necessarily wanted.

“He likes to play 4-3-3, he was the one who pushed Lamine Yamal originally and wingers are very important in his style.

“I think Man Utd fans would like the football, I think they’d like the dynamic nature of it, but there are a few hoops to jump through to bring him in.”

And now reports in Spain claim that Xavi has ‘called’ to ‘bring two Barcelona substitutes to Manchester United’ if he becomes their permanent head coach in the summer.

Man Utd are set to appoint an interim manager to take over from Darren Fletcher, who will take charge of the next game or two, before a long-term successor to Amorim is named in the summer.

The reports in Spain claim that Xavi ‘is the leading candidate to head the new project’ with the Premier League club seeing him ‘as the ideal candidate to begin a long-term rebuild’.

Gavi and Marc Bernal are the two Barcelona squad players that Xavi ‘would turn into key players with great potential at his Manchester United’.

The report adds: Xavi has always been a staunch supporter of Gavi. He knows better than anyone his character, his intensity, and his ability to inspire the team. At Barça today, his role hasn’t been as prominent as expected, but Xavi is convinced that in the Premier League he can unleash his full potential and become one of the most dominant midfielders in the league.’

On Bernal, the report continues: ‘The other name Xavi has put forward is  Marc Bernal . The young midfielder is one of the great promises of the Barcelona youth academy, but his current situation doesn’t allow him to get the necessary playing time to develop at the pace his talent demands. Xavi sees him as a modern defensive midfielder, capable of organizing the team, providing balance, and leading from the back.’