Eusebio Sacristan Says He Owes Sociedad Loyalty Amid Barcelona Return Rumours

Real Sociedad manager Eusebio Sacristan has rejected speculation he might take over from counterpart Luis Enrique at Barcelona this summer as he believes he owes the club his "loyalty."

He told AS (h/t Goal's Joe Wright): "I don't want to waste even a second on that. Really. It's clear for me. ... I owe my loyalty to Real, who believed in me and give me support."

Sacristan continued:

"

Everything I'm looking for I have right now with Real, and I want to keep that going for as long as possible.

I can assure you [I would say no]. I'm telling you now, and I'll tell you again when they call me.

"

Per Twitter account FC Barcelona Brasil, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo named Sacristan as one of four main candidates to replace Luis Enrique when he leaves in the summer:

"

O Barça possui quatro opções para substituir Luis Enrique: Ernesto Valverde, Juan Carlos Unzué, Eusebio Sacristán e Ronald Koeman. [MD] pic.twitter.com/KkeJ0e5zQh

— FC Barcelona Brasil (@FCBarcelona_bra) March 22, 2017"

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney noted the manager has only recently committed himself to Sociedad, though:

The 52-year-old spent seven years with the Blaugrana as a player, in which time he won 11 trophies, including the European Cup and four La Liga titles.

He returned to the club in 2003 as an assistant to manager Frank Rijkaard during his five-year tenure, and he managed Barca B from 2011 until 2015, when he replaced David Moyes as Sociedad boss.

Grup 14's Rafael Hernandez does not want to see him in the dugout at Barcelona:

However, he has thus far done an excellent job with La Real, who were above the relegation zone only on goal difference when he took charge but ended the season in ninth under his tutelage.

This year, Sociedad are already level with last season's points total, 48, and they sit in sixth place and level on points with fifth-placed Villarreal, which will see them qualify for the UEFA Europa League if they can finish there.

He also guided them to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they were knocked out by Barcelona.

Sacristan did not rule out the possibility of taking over at the Camp Nou in future, though: "I'm not saying that I don't like being thought of as a future coach of a great club."

As well as making a promising start to his managerial career, he also has intimate knowledge of the club—just as Luis Enrique and former boss Pep Guardiola did before taking charge.

While that does not guarantee he'd be as successful as either of the pair, it's understandable why he's been linked with the position.

Sacristan is firm that he won't be returning to Barcelona this year, but if he continues to impress with Sociedad, he may well have the chance to do so in the future.