Nico won't be able to feature on Saturday against Barcelona due to a special clause in the loan agreement with Valencia. Ahead of the game, Xavi explained why the Catalans were smart to include the clause.
"I think it's good that he cannot play against us. We don't want him to harm us. It's a good decision by the club," the coach said.
Xavi also revealed that he is happy with how Nico has been doing with Los Che: "We are following Nico. He is maturing and the system fits him well. He plays a part but he has competition because we are talking about a team like Valencia that has very good players."
Nico isn't playing as much as he perhaps had hoped. This term so far, he's featured for 406 minutes across 10 games (4 starts) and has scored a goal.