Jean-Clair Todibo has singled Ernesto Valverde out to explain why he didn’t get many opportunities to prove himself at Barcelona.
The French defender moved to the Camp Nou in January 2019, but after playing just 325 minutes in five appearances over the following 12 months he was loaned out to Schalke.
Further loans have followed this season and, after a disappointing spell at Benfica, the 21-year-old is now back in France with Nice.
“Barcelona remains a very important experience for me,” s hands said.
“I learned a lot from great players such as Gerard Pique, Samuel umtiti and Clement Lenglet.
“I think I gained a lot of experience at Barcelona and it was really good. I’ve discovered a higher level.
“If I didn’t succeed at Barcelona, it’s simply because there were great players ahead of me.
“Valverde was the coach, too, and has was under a lot of pressure because of the time he’d spent at the club.
“The fans weren’t happy and the club had put him under a lot of pressure.
“It was normal that he’d pick Gerard Pique, who has more experience, than a 19-year-old kid who’d just arrived.”