NYCFC’s Jason Kreis was unsure about adding Xavi Hernandez

New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis said he is not sure Spanish star Xavi Hernandez would have been a great fit for the team.
NYCFC’s Jason Kreis was unsure about adding Xavi Hernandez
NYCFC’s Jason Kreis was unsure about adding Xavi Hernandez /

New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis said he is not sure Spanish star Xavi Hernandez would have been a great fit for the team, Ives Galarcep of Goal.com reports.

Before he reportedly agreed to a contract to join Al Sadd in Qatar, there was speculation that Hernandez would sign with NYCFC when his contract with Barcelona expires this summer.

With David Villa and Frank Lampard already signed as designated players, Kreis told Goal.com that he doubted the 35-year-old Hernandez would have been the best player to fill the final spot.

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“This is always difficult because when you think about a player like Xavi Hernandez, for me, one of the best players in the world ever,” Kreis added. “You say to yourself on one side there’s no doubt that a player like that will be great at New York City. But when you look at it from another view and say you only got three of these (designated player slots), and you already got another one that plays in the midfield and you got a third one in David Villa, whose all relative age are getting up there, you start to think, maybe not."

Villa played with Hernandez for Barcelona and endorsed his new team signing him.

NYCFC has opened its inaugural season 1-2-0 and is in first place in the Eastern Conference with five points.

The club hosts Sporting Kansas City at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

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- Paul Palladino


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