Frenkie de Jong has dropped a major hint over the position he would like to be utilised in by his next club.
This of course comes with de Jong having endured a less than great time at FC Barcelona since his move from Ajax in 2019.
At the time, the Dutchman was viewed as one of the best young central midfielders in Europe, and was expected to go to replace Sergio Busquets at the Camp Nou.
However, Busquets has stuck around and, as a result, de Jong has been pushed further forward into more of a number 8 role.
For the Netherlands, though, the 25-year-old reverts to his more natural position as a no.6 type player.
And, speaking following his side’s trouncing of Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, de Jong has all but confirmed that he would prefer to be used in a deeper role at club level, too:
“I like to be the first player to receive the ball from the defenders. […] In the national team I play differently compared to Barça. And I think this one fits me better.”
Interesantes declaraciones de Frenkie de Jong a @NOS: “Me gusta ser el primer jugador en recibir el balón de los defensas. […] En la selección juego de forma diferente respecto al Barça. Y creo que esta se me ajusta mejor”
? ¿Ofrecimiento para tener minutos en el pivote?
— Toni Juanmartí (@tjuanmarti) June 3, 2022
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Given Manchester United’s serious lack of defensive midfielders, the signing of de Jong would make sense. However, United would probably still need to invest in another holding player to line out alongside the Dutchman in a double pivot.
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This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
