When Frenkie de Jong returned to the pitch after a long spell on the sidelines, many instantly doubted whether or not the midfielder would be useful to Barcelona.
The club, after all, had already found a rhythm in midfield through the combination of Pedri and Marc Casado.
However, in the recent game against Real Madrid, de Jong proved just how important he is to the Barcelona setup.
After coming on in the second half, the Dutchman made an instant impact in the proceedings. With the game poised, de Jong offered more control to the Barcelona midfield, allowing Pedri to be more expressive going forward.
De Jong’s impactful performance led Barcelona to turn the course of the game through a couple of quick goals from Robert Lewandowski. Before Real Madrid figured it out, it was already 3-0 with Lamine Yamal scoring.
De Jong in high spirits
As reported by AS, it appears de Jong’s stellar performance against Real Madrid has raised his spirits.
De Jong looked good against Real Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dutchman was low on confidence even after recovering from injury. The player, after all, had spent a considerable time on the sidelines.
But after a morale-boosting performance against Real Madrid, de Jong is now hopeful that he can once again establish himself as a top player.
The midfielder, in fact, hopes the Real Madrid performance to be a turning point. However, the road ahead could prove to be difficult as the Dutchman must still fight for a place in the squad.
Indeed, de Jong simply cannot waltz into the Barcelona starting XI, which has only two central midfield positions available – occupied by Pedri and Casado.
But if the Dutchman continues to perform well, Flick, who has immense faith in the player, could be forced into finding a solution to accommodate the former Ajax starlet, who, on his best day, can turn into one of the best midfielders in the world.
