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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has addressed the future of veteran left-back Jordi Alba.
The Spain international seems to have lost his left-back spot to youngster Alejandro Balde this season.
The 33-year-old started the first match of the season against Rayo Vallecano at Spotify Camp Nou, which finished 0-0. Since then, Xavi has opted for Balde ahead of his former teammate in la Liga.
The former Valencia star, however, played the entire 90 minutes in Barcelona's 5-1 UEFA Champions League win over Czech side Viktoria Plzen in midweek.
Ahead of Barcelona's trip to Cadiz on Saturday (September 10), Xavi was asked about the situation of the five-time La Liga winner.
The former Barca midfielder has offered a straight-forward response and urged the media not to look for any kind of controversy.
Xavi has claimed that he has a good relationship with the left-back and is very clear with him about his intentions. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, he said:
"I don't give up. He knows my position. Don't look for anything... Cádiz tomorrow. I don't know (about his statements). I've said very clearly with Jordi, don't look for controversy, there isn't any. He's happy and there's no debate"
He added:
"I try to be very clear with the players and with him, because of the relationship we have, even more so. I don't want to lose the group, I try to be honest and face it."
Xavi has insisted that it is only natural at big clubs to have fierce competition for places and Alba is well aware of it. He added:
"We have talked a lot, he knows perfectly well that there will be competition and that he will play the who is better. It is not a surprise, it is the world of football, an obvious thing."
Jordi Albas's days at Barcelona could be numbered
Since his move to Barcelona from Valencia back in 2012, Jordi Alba has established himself as a key player for the Catalan giants.
The bombarding left-back is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the modern era. He has played an integral role in the laurels the Blaugrana have achieved in the last decade.
However, his future at Camp Nou has been the subject of discussion over the summer following the emergence of Alejandro Balde.
Marcos Alonso joining from Chelsea has further complicated things for Alba, whose place in the starting XI has never been under this much threat in the past.
According to Barca Universal, Barcelona even wanted to offload the Spaniard to Inter Milan on loan but the defender opted against a move and fight for his place.
