Barcelona staff believe Frenkie de Jong’s issue is his lack of leadership, not playing style

Amidst all the transfer speculation surrounding a certain Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona management has expressed its displeasure with the comments that were delivered in the aftermath of the Netherlands’ 4-1 win over Belgium.

During the post-match interview, the 25-year-old talked about what sets him apart while playing for his national team while also highlighting the persistent issue at Barcelona that has been stalling his progress.

“Here in the national team, I have a position that suits me better,” he was quoted as saying. I like to be the first player to receive the ball from defenders. I play in a different way in the national team compared to Barça.”

As it turns out, the management thinks otherwise. According to AS, the discussion that panned out after the comment established the fact that de Jong’s lack of leadership and accountability is, in fact, the viable problem that has kept him out of sight.

The Dutch has been at Camp Nou since 2019 and judging by the hype that was created, he should have ideally established himself as a man among men. On the contrary, although there have been flashes of genius, consistency has hurt his tenure the most.

As a result, the most viable use of Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona is still unknown mostly due to the fact that the manager, as well as the support staff, still believes the captain, Sergio Busquets, is still the man for the role.

And so, if de Jong wants to continue, the only thing he can do is to adapt to the manager’s needs. The issues are indeed workable, but the scheme of things surrounding Barcelona and their financial troubles are forcing them to cut the cord.

While the player has expressed he wants to stay mostly because he wants to play in the UEFA Champions League, the team understands he can churn in big bucks that can aid them in signing new players in the summer.

It’s not that Barcelona have any questions about de Jong’s commitment. In fact, despite lacking consistency, he still remains one of the most valued players in the team. But the situation might turn if United agree to match Barcelona’s valuation of the player.