De Jong: “I decided in May that I wanted to stay at Barça… I knew the pressure would come”
De Jong: “I decided in May that I wanted to stay at Barça… I knew the pressure would come”
United and Chelsea tried to bring De Jong to the Premier League. The midfielder, however, turned down every offer that came his way at Barça, as he always wanted to succeed in the Camp Nou.
In an interview with ‘Ziggo Sport’, the Dutchman made it clear that it never crossed his mind to leave the club. “I was calm. I decided in May that I wanted to stay. My opinion never changed, although I knew the pressure would come. From the newspapers, from the president, yes… from everyone, in fact”, he commented.
Nothing changed De Jong’s mind. “I wanted to stay at Barça. None of that got me off track,” said the midfielder.>>>>>CONTINUE READING HERE>>>>>
He revealed that, before the season started, Xavi had already warned him that he was not going to play as much of a leading role as he would like. “I knew I would have less playing time. I have to make sure I start from scratch. I didn’t start against Bayern and I want to start against Real Madrid. I feel good physically. I have to work hard to start at the Bernabeu,” he said.
For the moment, the Catalan Giants don’t know who Xavi will choose for the ‘Clasico’: “Maybe he’s already decided, we don’t usually know until the day of the game”.
Despite this eagerness to succeed at the Camp Nou, the lack of playing time that the coach is giving him is taking its toll on De Jong’s motivation. The player is not happy with his situation and it could be starting to affect him.
