Frenkie de Jong admits he knew Barcelona would PRESSURE him to leave the club
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Frenkie de Jong says he knew Barcelona would ‘pressurize’ him to leave amid Man United interest, but he was desperate to stay… with the Dutchman now sitting on the bench, despite the fact that he agreed to discuss his pay at the end of the season
- Frenkie de Jong has revealed he knew Barcelona would pressure him to leave
- The midfielder played 10 times this season, but the majority from the bench
- The Holland international has only started three games in the LaLiga this season
- Manchester United remain interested in de Jong despite not signing him
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Frenkie de Jong has revealed that he fully expected Barcelona to try to force him out of the club by leaving him on the bench in bigger games in which Manchester United still show interest.
De Jong played 10 times this season in all competitions for the Catalan giants, but the majority of them were off the bench.
He started on the bench in their high profile Champions League games against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, as well as LaLiga games against Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano and Celta Vigo.
Frenkie de Jong has revealed that he fully expected Barcelona to try to force him
The Holland international de Jong has only started three times in the LaLiga this season
The Holland international has only started three times in the LaLiga and once in the Champions League against Viktoria Plzen.
Manchester United spent most of the transfer window chasing the former Ajax star in a £64m deal, only to end up missing Erik ten Hag’s main target as he desperately wanted to stay put.
However, De Jong has now admitted that he was under heavy pressure to leave the club, and is not surprised by his lack of playing time so far this season.
De Jong admitted that he was killed by President Joan Laporta. pressured to leave Barcelona
‘I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during that entire period,” De Jong told Ziggo Sports.
‘I stayed calm. But then you know the pressure would come… Yes, from the newspapers, from the president, exactly. From everywhere actually. But I wanted to stay with Barca, so it never blew me away.’
The 25-year-old hopes he will have the chance to shine in Sunday’s El Clasico against bitter title rivals Real Madrid.
He made a huge impression the last time the two sides met in LaLiga, when he helped Xavi’s side to a huge 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu in March.
“I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern I was not a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid,” added De Jong.
“Maybe he has already made a decision, but normally we don’t know until the day of the game.”
All this despite the midfielder agreeing to renegotiate his deal at the end of the season after being asked for a pay cut.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is not deterred by de Jong’s resistance to join him
The latest news comes after reports from Spain suggesting he is ‘disgusted’ by the way Xavi has used him sparingly, according to the Spanish outlet Sport.
It is said that he thought he would play a ‘decisive’ role at Barcelona this season, but now he has slipped down the midfield pecking order.
That news may be a big boost for Manchester United with ESPN He previously reported that boss Erik ten Hag has not been deterred by the midfielder’s resistance to leave the Spanish giants in the summer.
United did get a deal for Casemiro from Real Madrid, but it is hoped that Ten Hag can lure De Jong to Old Trafford and play him alongside the Brazilian.
