FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has defend his players and called Frenkie de Jong one of the … [+]
FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has defended Frenkie de Jong by calling the midfielder ‘one of the best’ players in the world ahead of Sunday’s La Liga meeting with Granada.
De Jong is currently out injured and looks set to miss a series of key fixtures including El Clasico against Real Madrid later this month.
Just over a year ago, the €75 million, 2019 signing from Ajax was deemed surplus to requirements owing to the Blaugarana’s financial issues plus the rise of Gavi and Pedri.
President Joan Laporta and his board reportedly accepted an €85 million offer for him from Manchester United in mid-July.
Rather than taking much more money and the guarantee of being a starter, however, a then-benched De Jong dug his heels in, refused to move, and won his place back in Xavi’s first XI.
Playing a pivotal role in a Barca outfit that won its first La Liga title in four years last term, De Jong has since risen to become an ‘untouchable’ favorite for Xavi who has been sorely missed for the past couple of weeks.
Even so, the manager still has to field questions about the criticism the 26-year-old faces despite his clear quality.
Broached on such a topic Saturday afternoon, Xavi said that the environment surrounding the club, known as the “entorno’, “has a great capacity to undervalue everything”.
“A footballer who is a 10 is an eight. A player who is an eight is a six. That’s why it’s the most difficult club in the world for players.
“Frenkie is one of the best in the world,” Xavi clearly stated. “And he is when he trains.”
“That’s why some people are surprised. They see him training and they think: why is he so criticised.”
Xavi’s remarks come after Gavi and loanee Joao Felix also sung De Jong’s praises in the media this week.
Though he had temporarily edged De Jong out of the side, Gavi admitted to La Vanguardia that he was affected by news that the number 21 could leave for the Premier
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In De Jong and Pedri’s absence, Gavi is expected to line up in the center of the park with Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu at Granada this weekend.