Xavi backs 'complete player' De Jong
Frenkie de Jong is a “complete player” whose qualities may be undervalued by the public but are fully appreciated by his team-mates, according to Xavi.
De Jong has been mentioned as a possible stand-in captain for Virgil van Dijk in the Netherlands’ upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Germany.
Speaking on Tuesday, Netherlands coach Xavi, who also worked with De Jong at Barcelona, was asked whether the midfielder’s quality was truly appreciated. The discussion followed De Jong’s deployment out of position at right-back during the second half of Barcelona’s win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
“Perhaps among the public, but not among his team-mates,” Xavi told reporters.
“If you play with him every day, you end up truly appreciating him. He’s a complete player.”
De Jong made his own preference clear when discussing the right-back role: “Everybody knows I’m a midfielder.” The remark could be interpreted as a message to Barcelona boss Hansi Flick.
On whether he feels undervalued, De Jong said: “Everyone has their own opinion about it. There’s no single truth.
“As a player, perhaps you’re more likely to feel a bit underestimated.”
Speaking to ESPN, he explained why he believes his contribution can be difficult to judge from the outside.
“People don’t watch matches regularly. Few are those who follow the full 90 minutes. They don’t really understand the game, and they don’t realise what is happening on the pitch, or why decisions are made.
“The easiest way to assess a player is, of course, to look at whether he scores or assists. As for me, these numbers are much lower, of course.”
