Robert Fernandez responds to criticism from former Barça man Mathieu
The French defender hit out at Robert and Bartomeu in an interview this week
Robert also spoke about Gerard Deulofeu's exclusion from Barça's squad
Barcelona's sporting director Robert Fernandez has responded to Jeremy Mathieu, who left the club for Sporting Club in the summer.
Mathieu faced his former employers in the Champions League game on Wednesday, starting in the match in Lisbon.
Speaking in the build-up to the game, Mathieu had said in various interviews that he would dedicate any goal he scored to Robert and and president Josep Maria Bartomeu because of the way they treated him when he left.
Asked about the comments, Robert said: "The only thing I can do is wish him a lot of luck, in the name of Barcelona, the president and myself. I wish him a lot of luck, hope things go well for him... there's nothing else to say."
Deulofeu
Meanwhile, in relation to Gerard Deulofeu's absence from the squad for the second game running, Robert said that "to start for Barcelona is not easy, above all because there are great players in every position."
He continued: "Today it's [Deulofeu's] turn to miss out. Another day it will be someone else. The important thing is that he's OK, that the team's OK and that you get chances, which you will.
"The season is long, there are a lot of games and you need a lot of players. When you have a lot of players, these things happen. Gerard's important for the team and today we're talking about him but it could be another player. The important thing is the group."
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