Samuel Umtiti has sent a clear message to Ronald Koeman and Barcelona fans amid a lack of game time.
Umtiti was heavily criticised during the summer amid a reported unwillingness to leave during the Lionel Messi saga.
Barcelona attempted to shift a number of unwanted players as they looked to scrape together enough money to keep Messi.
But Umtiti did not want to leave having battled his way back from a number of injuries during his time at Barcelona.
That earned him boos from Barcelona fans during pre-season games, and he has not been given a single minute of game time since, even with Koeman‘s men suffering from defensive issues with he likes of Eric Garcia struggling for form.
In the wake of that criticism and lack of play time, Umtiti has given an interview to Marca, and he has made it clear that he wants to stay and wait for his opportunity.
“I don’t plan to leave in January, I want to triumph here,” he said.
“I don’t see myself in another place. My intention is to complete my contract.
“I am waiting to have an opportunity to demonstrate that I am very well, though it’s a little hard.”
Addressing some of the criticism he has received from fans, Umtiti added: “Nobody knows what I have done and what I do. The training I do, the double sessions. I am a worker.
“Football is my life and Barcelona is my life.
“In the end, I had to work more than everyone in the world. People think I do nothing, that I am on the sofa all day without doing anything, but in the house I work, I train every day.”
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