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'Koeman gave me nothing' - Deulofeu blasts new Barcelona boss and says club has ignored La Masia
The 26-year-old had very little positive to say about the Dutchman after playing under him in the Premier League for Everton
Former Barcelona winger Gerard Deulofeu has taken aim at his old side, criticising new manager Ronald Koeman and saying the club has ignored its youth system.
Deulofeu, who came through Barca’s La Masia youth system, played under Koeman at Everton in 2016-17 but was sent out on loan to AC Milan. After leaving Goodison Park, Koeman took charge of the Dutch national side before being announced as the new Barca boss on Wednesday.
"I can tell you about Koeman from my personal experience, and I have very little to tell you about Koeman," Deulofeu told Catalunya Radio.
"He provided me absolutely nothing. I wasn't happy, I asked to leave and I went to Milan. We'll see how he does at the Camp Nou."
Barca presidential candidate Victor Font has already said that if he wins next year's election, Koeman will not remain as manager, however successful he is.
Deulofeu now looks to be on the hunt for a new club once again, following current side Watford’s relegation from the Premier League.
When the 26-year-old left Everton permanently in 2017, it was for a brief return to Barca. Now, after two frustrating spells at Camp Nou, he says he isn’t bothered by the club’s most recent crisis.
"The truth is that Barcelona's [situation] does not bother me," he said. "In fact, right now, I don't care."
Deulofeu was once one of La Masia’s most prized assets, but his relative fall from grace in recent seasons has been a familiar story.
Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig are among the academy products to have broken into the first team in recent months but Barca’s ageing first team bears little resemblance to the golden generation that reached its peak under Pep Guardiola.
Big-money signings like Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann have failed to shine while the core of the team – the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique – are in their 30s.
"At Barcelona, they have not had patience with La Masia for years,” Deulofeu commented.“If you give [the youngsters] time, they learn the style of the first team.
"There are players, many of us have come from there, but not patience. Now there will be changes, but they are years behind."
