Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has admitted he was pressured by the club, and especially Barcelona president Joan Laporta, to leave in the summer.
The Dutch midfielder was linked all summer with a move to Manchester United but resisted such a move and opted to stay with the Blaugrana.
A dispute over the player’s deferred salary further complicated matters and caused the Red Devils to finally give up their search for him.
Since the failed move, De Jong’s stature at the club has diminished significantly. He has been reduced to a bench player and rarely starts, with Xavi preferring Pedri and Gavi as the two against Sergio Busquets.
Fighting for minutes at the Spotify Camp Nou stadium, De Jong has only managed one Champions League start, against Victoria Plzen, and just three in La Liga.
In an interview with Ziggo Sport via 90min, the 25-year-old said: “I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion never changed during the whole period. I stayed calm.
“But then, you know, the pressure started to come on. From the newspapers, from the president… from everywhere, in fact.”
“But I wanted to stay at Barça, so it never bothered me.”
In the frank interview, De Jong acknowledged that he was well aware that Xavi would play less with him.
In a somewhat impassioned plea to the Barca boss, he reiterated his desire to start against Real Madrid in El Clasico tomorrow, an unlikely scenario as Xavi’s favorites will likely start with him again as they have all season.
A report recently surfaced detailing the midfielder’s displeasure at his limited playing time with the club. He has also been linked with Liverpool.
Certainly De Jong shows no chance of wavering in his position that he doesn’t want United. The club must move on and look the other way instead of wavering that his stance will magically change one day.
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