‘I am very happy’: Frenkie de Jong on Barcelona, Xavi and his thirst for trophies

Midfielder discusses an unexpected text from Busquets, life without Messi and how the manager is helping his development

Shortly after Frenkie de Jong signed for Barcelona, he received a text message. It was Sergio Busquets welcoming him to the club and inviting him to get in touch if he had any questions or wanted any advice. Coming from the Spanish midfielder, it was not only a thoughtful gesture but, for two reasons, a remarkable one.

First, although De Jong’s transfer was announced in January 2019 he was not leaving Ajax until the summer. Also he was reported to have been bought to replace Busquets in the team – maybe not immediately but certainly at some point. The club legend could have been forgiven for feeling uncomfortable about the £65m deal. That point was underlined by a Marca headline after De Jong’s debut in a friendly against Chelsea: “Busquets has a problem called De Jong”.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KtIiHqv

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