Frenkie de Jong says he knew Barcelona would ‘pressure’ him to leave amid Man United interest but he was desperate to stay… with the Dutchman now stuck on the bench, despite agreeing to discuss his wages at the end of the season
- Frenkie de Jong has revealed he knew Barcelona would pressure him to leave
- The midfielder has featured 10 times this season, but mostly from the bench
- The Holland international has only started three matches in LaLiga this term
- Manchester United remain interested in De Jong, despite failing to sign him
Frenkie de Jong insists he fully expected Barcelona to leave him on the bench in bigger matches in a bid to force him out of the club, with Manchester United still showing interest in the midfielder.
De Jong has featured 10 times in all competitions for the Catalan giants this season, but the majority of those appearances have come as a substitute.
He started on the bench in their high-profile Champions League matches 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 would try to force him out
The Holland international has only started three matches in LaLiga so far this season
The Holland international has only started three times in LaLiga and once in the Champions League against Viktoria Plzen.
Manchester United spent the majority of the transfer window chasing the former Ajax star in a potential deal worth £64million, only to end up missing out on Erik ten Hag’s top target because he was desperate to stay put.
De Jong has now admitted that he was being heavily pressured to leave the club, therefore leaving him unsurprised by his lack of game time so far this season.
De Jong admitted he was being pressured to leave Barcelona by president Joan Laporta
‘I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion has never changed during this entire period,’ he told Ziggo Sport.
‘I stayed calm. But then you know the pressure would start to come… Yes, from the newspapers, from the president, exactly. From everywhere actually. But I wanted to stay at Barca so it never baffled me.’
The 25-year-old will be hoping for a chance to shine in Sunday’s El Clasico against bitter title rivals Real Madrid.
He made a huge impact the last time the two sides met in March, when he helped Xavi’s men seal a 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
‘I want to be a starter again. Against Bayern, I was not a starter and I hope to be against Real Madrid,’ De Jong added.
‘Maybe he [Xavi] has already decided, but normally we don’t know until the day of the game.’
All of this despite the midfielder agreeing to renegotiate his deal at the end of the season after being asked to take a wage cut.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has not been put off by de Jong’s resistance to join him
The latest news comes amid reports suggesting that De Jong is ‘disgusted’ by the way Xavi has used him sparingly, according to Spanish outlet Sport.
It’s claimed the player thought he was going to enjoy a ‘decisive’ role at Barcelona this season but has now actually slipped down the midfield pecking order.
That news potentially comes as a major boost to Manchester United, with ESPN previously reporting that Ten Hag has not been put off by De Jong’s resistance to leave Barca in the summer.
United did get a deal over the line for Casemiro from Real Madrid but it is hoped Ten Hag can lure De Jong to Old Trafford and play him alongside the Brazilian.
