One of the players who looked destined to be on the chopping block for Hansi Flick this month was Frenkie de Jong.
With the Dutchman’s contract at Barcelona about to enter its final year, it was expected that the Blaugrana were going to try and ship him off to maximise his transfer fee.
Due to his high wages though, there were not many clubs in Europe fighting for his signature, however, Saudi Arabian clubs have been heavily linked with the 27-year-old.
Despite the opportunity to earn millions, the former Ajax player decided to stay at Barca and that decision seems to be paying off as he is currently playing some of the best football he has since arriving at the club.
De Jong scored Barcelona’s opener in their 7-1 victory and ended up playing 78 minutes before being brought off, a situation that seemed unlikely a few months ago.
In an interview after the game, cited by Mundo Deportivo, the Dutchman spoke about how he is feeling 100% after the recent winter break.
“I feel good now after the Christmas break. I’m 100% and I have to prove that I have to play. I feel very good after having scored and especially for the victory.”
The 27-year-old midfielder also talked about how there is still room for improvement, despite the convincing scoreline.
“We are a team that scores a lot of goals, we attack well and we have to continue like this. Next time we have to keep a clean sheet.
“Valencia is not a bad team, I think they have a better team than it seems. It is a merit, we had a bad run but now we have to start winning.”
Hopefully, Frenkie can continue this run of form as if the Blaugrana are to catch Real Madrid in the league, then they will need everyone available and playing at their best.
