Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has hailed Barcelona coach Xavi as the main reason for his move to the La Liga club, saying the former midfielder’s ideas and methods painted an “amazing future” for the Spanish team.

Lewandowski, who had 12 months remaining on his Bayern contract, moved to Barcelona in a deal worth $45.84 million and has joined the team on their U.S. pre-season tour.

The Poland international said that he “always wanted to play for a big club” in La Liga and praised Xavi, who was roped in last season when Barca were ninth and dragged them out of a slump to eventually finish second in the standings.

“I was speaking with Xavi and from the beginning I know (what’s been on his) mind, his ideas,” Lewandowski told Barca’s media channel. “It was easy for me to decide to come to Barcelona because I’m the guy who wants to play, who wants to win, and I think that with Xavi it’s very possible.

“He knows exactly how to coach Barcelona because he was an amazing player and now he’s also a very good coach. He has an amazing future and I want to be a part of this as well.”

Lewandowski, who won the last two Fifa Best Player of the Year awards, is the German Bundesliga’s all-time second highest scorer. He scored 348 goals for Bayern in eight seasons. The 33-year-old had been forcing a move from Bayern since May and was relieved after both clubs finally came to an agreement last week.

“Finally, I’m here, I’m very happy to be here with Barcelona. The last few days were very long days but in the end the deal is done,” he added. “So now I can focus on a new chapter in my life, a new challenge.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Frenkie de Jong has made a subtle dig at his club for poorly handling his transfer situation. According to several reports, the Catalan club and Manchester United had reached an agreement for the Dutch midfielder with United paying an initial price of £63.7 million and a further £8.5 million in performance-related add-ons.

Though the two teams had agreed on a potential transfer, De Jong seems dissatisfied with how Barcelona handled the situation.

On Sunday, the 25-year-old liked a comment on an Instagram post that read: “I dislike the way we have handled Frenkie’s situation."

Although De Jong removed his like from the comment, it is quite clear that the midfielder wants to continue at the Camp Nou.

Written with inputs from Reuters