Xavi sends a ‘clear message’ to 21-year-old defender by ‘leaving him out of the squad’

The prospect of defending Vinicius Jr in El Clasico was a problem to which Xavi had plenty of options for. The young and pacey Sergino Dest was thought to have the upper hand over his competition to start in Saudi Arabia. However, Xavi decided against the USMNT star.

Not only did Dest not start, but he was not even kept on the bench against Real Madrid. The right-back was left out of the final squad, with even Oscar Mingueza making the cut ahead of him.

According to reports from SPORT, the manager’s decision to leave the defender out was a clear message that he is not in the team’s plans. Moreover, it is said to be directly related to Barcelona’s plans for the winter transfer window.

At the club, departures are seen as the number one priority. Barcelona have already engineered three exits in the past few days, and there is still more to come.

Since Xavi’s arrival, Dest has lost his place in the squad. His inability to understand the philosophy of the team and grow is the primary reason for his exclusion. However, Barcelona understands that there is a market for the USMNT player.

Given his young age and flashy skills, several clubs are interested in signing the former Ajax right-back. Chelsea leads the list of European giants eyeing Dest, amongst whom Bayern Munich lurk too.

The 21-year-old has started 11 league games for Barcelona this season in which he has recorded three assists. Additionally, he has created five big chances and averages two tackles per game.