Sergio Busquets has a decision to make, and Phil Neville just wants what’s best for him.
The Inter Miami head coach would never dream of forcing Busquets to choose his club over suitors in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. He just thinks it would be a real shame if the Barcelona legend ended up somewhere else.
“He’s got a big decision to make, and we hope he makes the right decision,” Neville said in quotes published by the Miami Herald.
Busquets announced Wednesday that he would leave Barça at the end of this season. While Neville didn’t outright say that Miami is his definition of the right decision, it’s safe to say he’d like to have one of the all-time great defensive midfielders wearing pink and black in the near future.
Miami has been linked to Busquets in recent months, and perhaps not coincidentally was recently discussed by commissioner Don Garber as the MLS team most likely to land Busquets’ good friend Lionel Messi.
“The most impressive thing is when people talk about the great players, No. 6s, people automatically think of Sergio Busquets,” added Neville. “He’s obviously had a brilliant career at Barcelona and leaving will be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, to leave the club he’s been at all his life. I’ve witnessed that.”
Neville’s playing career saw him spend 15 years with Manchester United, starting as a 13-year-old in their academy, before moving on to Everton for the final eight seasons of his career.
What makes Busquets right for Miami
For Miami, the allure of Busquets is clear. On the field, the club lost defensive midfielder Gregore to a season-ending foot injury in their third game of the season. They’ve had to lean on Jean Mota, who tends to prefer to play a bit higher up the field, and the Brazilian was just diagnosed with a knee injury that will keep him out for four to six months. On top of that, the Herons currently sit outside the playoff places in the Eastern Conference.
Off the field, signing him would add a star player on a team that hasn’t had a bigger global name since Gonzalo Higuain retired this winter. Any team could use that kind of attendance boost, but Miami seems like a market that responds to star power more than most.
However, Busquets’ decision will be complicated. Per The Athletic, the 34-year-old has an offer in hand from a club in Saudi Arabia, while plenty of other suitors would love to have a player of his profile inking a contract.
For Neville at least, there’s just a clearly correct choice among them.
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