Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez announced on Tuesday the departure of his Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic, after two years in his ranks, from Juventus.
“Pjanic decided to leave (from the team) to get more participation and minutes,” Hernandez told a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s match against Czech Republic’s Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League. Each person is a master of his own future. He was a professional player to the top and I thank him for that.”
Pjanic, 32, did not play in the four matches that Barcelona played in the Spanish League, so the Bosnian international decided to leave and search for a new challenge for the first time outside Europe, after reports revealed the interest of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to include him.
Sharjah did not comment on the news of the negotiations, but the Emirati newspapers confirmed that last season’s runner-up sought to sign a new well-known star after the Spaniard Paco Alcacer came from his compatriot Villarreal with a free transfer contract.