"They treat him like a puppet": Dutch advice to De Jong: leave Barcelona
His battle is with Pedri, not Rodri
Frenkie de Jong's new role at Barcelona has sparked wide debate in the Netherlands, to the point that one former Netherlands international has advised him to leave the Catalan club.
Khalid Boulahrouz, the ex-Netherlands international who also turned out for Sevilla and Chelsea, told De Jong to think carefully about his future after Hansi Flick deployed him as a right-back in the win over Atletico Madrid.
Speaking on the programme "Rondo" on the Ziggo Sport channel, Boulahrouz voiced his doubts about playing the midfielder out of position for Barcelona.
According to the newspaper Sport, Boulahrouz said: "If I were in Frenkie's place, I would start thinking carefully about what I want." He warned that shuffling De Jong around could ultimately backfire, and lamented the treatment of the Barcelona player: "They are using him as a puppet."
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What really worries Boulahrouz is the temporary fix becoming the norm. "This time it was ten minutes, but next time they might say he has already proven his ability to do it, and that he will play half an hour at right-back if necessary," he said.
De Jong must defend his natural position, Boulahrouz insisted: "Then you have to ask yourself: is this what I want? He is a midfielder, and that is his optimal position. He can also play as a centre-back, but if he now has to move to right-back..."
The 44-year-old then sounded a further warning: "His fierce battle will be with Pedri because no one can move Rodri."
A different point of view: Jansen defends de Jong
Theo Janssen offered a completely different take. The former Ajax man defended De Jong on the same programme, praising his contribution against Atletico Madrid and insisting his introduction changed the course of the match.
"When you bring him on, you know you have an extra midfielder. He reads situations well. You can always pass the ball to him," he explained. For Janssen, De Jong was the key to Barcelona's comeback: "He made the difference in that match. From the moment he came on, the team started to work better."
De Jong had addressed his new position himself on Tuesday, telling ESPN: "If the coach asks me to play in defence, I will play in defence. But this is not the long-term plan. Everyone knows that I am a midfielder."
