"I don't see the player in training" - Barcelona legend comments on Xavi not using Vitor Roque enough this season

Rivaldo has refused to comment on Xavi's treatment of Vitor Roque at Barcelona. The Brazilian legend claims that the youngster was signed too soon by the Catalan side and should have waited like Real Madrid have with Endrick.

Speaking to BetFair, Rivaldo claimed that arriving mid-season hurt Roque as Xavi already had plans set for the players at his disposal. He added that the youngster could also be at fault as the training ground issues are not known, saying:

"Perhaps Xavi and Barcelona should have let Vitor Roque finish the season in Brazil, and not bring him to Barca so early if he was not ready, just like Real Madrid did with Endrick.

"Every player's dream is to play for Barca but the way in which he arrived in December, mid-season, hurt him. Barca has to analyse this and, in future, think carefully about whether to bring in the middle of the season or to wait."

He added:

"We are talking about a young player, a player who has a future, but it was too early to come in the middle of a season and try to resolve the difficult situation the club was in. I'm not involved in the club's day-to-day activities, so I don't see the player in training. Sometimes, if the player is not doing well in training, the manager has to leave them out of the team or squad altogether.

"However, Vitor Roque has a big future, so even if he doesn't play for Barca, he will definitely have chances on another team."

Roque has played just 327 minutes for Barcelona since moving from Athletico-PR in January. He has scored twice in the league but hasn't managed to get a lot of minutes under his belt.

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Barcelona star's agent unhappy with Xavi

Vitor Roque's agent, Andre Cury, has blasted Xavi for cutting off the youngster. He claims that the manager hasn't spoken with the striker for the last few weeks and has threatened to take the Brazilian out of the club.

Cury has stated that they will not accept a loan move and would push for a permanent transfer if he is not in Xavi's plans. He told RAC1:

"No one understands why Xavi doesn't play him and doesn't even speak to Vitor, it's not right. We will discuss his future with Barça soon. We chose Barça because Vitor loves the club, imagine that we really had other proposals that gave us twice as much. But if we can't find a solution internally, we will have to look for another place on permanent transfer."

The agent went on to reveal that Tottenham Hotspur were willing to pay more than Barcelona, but the youngster chose the Catalan side.