Frenkie de Jong, a midfielder for Barcelona, has admitted that he expected the Catalan giants to try to force him out of the club by frequently leaving him on the bench in recent months. Frenkie de Jong said that he expected the Catalan giants to try and force him out of the club.
The Dutchman's name was frequently mentioned in connection with a transfer to Manchester United during the summer transfer window; however, the transfer did not take place, despite reports that the two clubs had reached an agreement on a transfer fee for the 25-year-old player. De Jong was adamant that he did not want to leave the Camp Nou under any circumstances, and he was unwilling to budge on this position.
Since then, he has admitted that he was under "pressure" from newspapers and club president Joan Laporta, but he has claimed that it never "baffled" him because he was certain that he would be staying in Spain. This is despite the fact that he previously denied being under any such "pressure."
"I maintained my composure. I made the decision in May that I wanted to continue living here. Throughout this entire time period, my viewpoint has remained the same "De Jong told Ziggo Sport.
"I was able to keep my composure. However, you are aware that at that point the pressure will begin to build... Indeed, it was in the newspapers, and it came directly from the president. Actually, from all over the place. But I had always intended to remain in Barcelona, so the situation never confused me."
Although De Jong has played for Barcelona in 10 games across all competitions so far this season, the majority of those appearances have been off the bench. He has started just two of those games.
The former Ajax player started on the bench for United's matches against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League. He also started on the bench for United's matches in the La Liga against Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Celta Vigo. United's head coach Erik ten Hag coached Ajax when the club competed in the Eredivisie.
The 25-year-old midfielder has only started three matches for Xavi's team in their domestic competition, and he has only started one match in Europe. Despite the fact that he has not played a lot so far this season, De Jong has indicated that he is not surprised by his lack of playing time. However, he has also admitted that he is hopeful of playing in the El Clasico on Sunday against Real Madrid, his team's fiercest rival.
"I long to take the initiative once more. I did not start when we played Bayern Munich, but I am hoping to do so when we play Real Madrid "De Jong added. It's possible that he's already made up his mind, but in most cases, we won't find out until the day of the game.
United attempted to make a move for De Jong during the transfer window; however, they were unsuccessful and instead made a late move to sign Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro. The Brazilian has been outstanding since making the switch over the summer and was outstanding in the 2-1 victory over Everton that took place last weekend.
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