De Jong reveals the behind-the-scenes of Xavi's call: it surprised me greatly
When did it happen?
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has revealed he spoke with compatriot Xavi Hernandez before the Dutchman's appointment as Netherlands head coach became official. De Jong could not hide his delight at working under Xavi once more, the pair having spent time together at the Catalan club.
Speaking to Dutch channel "NOS", De Jong explained that Xavi rang him before the announcement: "He called me beforehand, and it was good to know he was thinking about it. Since we hadn't had a foreign coach for a long time, I was a little surprised, but I was happy."
Having worked under Xavi at Barcelona, De Jong knows his methods inside out, and he backed his former coach to make a success of the Netherlands job.
"We worked well together at Barcelona," he said. "I know how he thinks about football, and that fits perfectly with the national team. He wants to press and attack, and he won't change his principles. Tactically, he has great variety in how to implement them."
A rebuild is coming, and De Jong knows it won't happen overnight. "Now we have to start rebuilding the team, and that will take time," he said.
The midfielder also reflected on a testing few months. He sat out the latest international break to complete his rehabilitation, then returned to the pitch against Real Madrid after the injury he picked up at the World Cup. He called the recovery "a long and difficult period" but insisted he was confident of getting back to full fitness.
This latest setback worried him far less than his previous ankle problem. De Jong admitted he never felt the same uncertainty about when he would recover, or whether he would recover fully at all.
On his relationship with Barcelona during his absence, De Jong was clear there had been no fallout, even if the question of surgery sparked plenty of discussion.
"Everyone is aware of the situation and how things went, so there are no hard feelings," he said. "Of course, we discussed the matter during the decision-making process on whether or not to have the surgery, then the decision was taken collectively, and we moved forward."
More Barcelona landmarks lie ahead. De Jong will reach his 300th appearance for the club if he features against Alaves and Aston Villa, and he could even be deployed at centre-back in today's match.
