Barcelona midfield star denies recommending the board to hire Hansi Flick

It is only a matter of time before Hansi Flick becomes the next coach of FC Barcelona. The German tactician is likely to be officiated tomorrow and will take over Xavi Hernandez at the end of the season.

Flick’s arrival could usher in a new era at Barcelona and may lead to several changes to the team. However, there are certain players who may stand to benefit from his arrival, including Ilkay Gundogan.

The former Borussia Dortmund star has an excellent relationship with Flick, having worked with him at the German national team. So much so, that it was even reported that Gundogan had recommended the Barcelona board to hire Flick.

Gundogan did not recommend Flick: Entourage

However, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, Gundogan’s entourage has denied the player giving any such recommendations to the Barcelona board.

Gundogan has worked with Flick in the past (Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images)

The representatives have clarified that Gundogan did not inform the Barcelona board that Flick was a good coach, with a soft attitude.

The entourage maintained that Gundogan has the utmost respect for Xavi Hernandez and even if he was asked to give a recommendation on Flick, he wouldn’t do so out of respect for the Barcelona coach.

Why did Barcelona go after Flick?

Earlier in the year, it was reported that Barcelona had dropped the idea of hiring Flick owing to his lack of proficiency in Spanish.

However, the report adds that Barcelona opted to go for Flick this summer due to the fact that he has worked with multiple existing Barça stars.

Indeed, the likes of Gundogan, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Robert Lewandowski have all worked with Flick in the past.

That synergy could prove to be useful as Flick looks to usher in a new era at Barcelona.