Frenkie de Jong at centre-back: Barcelona man has done it before
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 25 Jul 2022 15:46 BST
- 4 min read
Frenkie de Jong’s future is still uncertain, with Manchester United actively pursuing their top transfer target, Barcelona willing to sell and the player still considering his options.
The club need to sell to smoothen their financial burden, but De Jong is still waiting to receive his deferred wages, and generally prefers a stay in Barcelona.
He has also travelled to the United States for the club’s pre-season tour, featuring in matches against Inter Miami and Real Madrid, although he’s been playing in a different position.
De Jong has featured at centre-back, and coach Xavi has said that he plans to use him in that position for a while, as the club has too many options in midfield.
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De Jong's centre-back role isn't unusual
Barcelona have already signed Andreas Christensen this year, and are close to bringing in Jules Kounde from Sevilla, which makes Xavi’s decision intriguing.
And while the decision is met with surprise, playing at centre-back isn’t something unusual for De Jong – he’s done it before, when he was starting off with Ajax’s first team.
It was between the end of 2017 and that start of the 2018-19 season that he was occupying that position, often due to injuries to other players.
He was also often accompanying Matthijs de Ligt, creating a partnership that was excellent on the ball and great at progressing play forward.
It was some important games he played in as well, including clashes against Twente, PSV and Feyenoord, winning all three of them.
In total, between the November 2017 and February 2018, he played a total of 13 matches at centre-back, all of which were undefeated in a run of 10 wins and three draws.
Much of this was when Erik ten Hag was starting off as Ajax head coach, as he joined the club in December 2017, and was in his first few weeks in the job.
Incidentally, he was injured in February 2018, and in his first game that he missed, Ajax lost 3-2 to Vitesse, and Ajax title challenge that season derailed, with PSV going on to win the league title.
When he returned, he was used more in midfield and got a few games in defence, only because of injuries to others, which didn’t turn out the same way.
Xavi has told Frenkie de Jong that his intention is to give him more minutes in other positions, such as the centre-back position.
— @fansjavimiguel pic.twitter.com/U7nUCo1dN0— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 24, 2022
He played in defence occasionally in the Champions League, against Sturm Graz in the qualifying rounds and AEK Athens in the Champions League, but that run would soon come to an end due to others emerging and his talents proving better in midfield.
In September 2018, after the game against AEK Athens, he was at centre-back against PSV due to an injury to De Ligt, as Ajax lost 3-0, and he never played there again after that.
Ten Hag then recognised his potential in midfield, and he continued playing there, as his performances were consistent for both club and country, starting with a Nations League game for the Netherlands against France in November 2018.
In time, he became one of the world’s most expensive midfielders ever, as he moved to Barcelona in January 2019, and he’s been there since.
Now, De Jong’s an accomplished midfielder for Barcelona and the Netherlands, but Xavi seems to be clear on keeping him in defence, which has come as a surprise.
