Barcelona holds its breath: "Everything is an absolute lie"
The Barcelona star denied reports of a crisis with coach Hansi Flick, attacked the rumors surrounding him and clarified: "I have been here for seven years, it has always been my dream."
Frenkie de Jong has decided to put an end to the rumors surrounding his future at Barcelona and his relationship with coach Hansi Flick. In an interview with the club's official channel, the Dutch midfielder categorically denied recent reports, attacked journalist Gerard Romero, and clarified that his relationship with the German coach is excellent.
The storm began following a report by Romero, which claimed that the relationship between de Jong and Flick was damaged after the second leg against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals last season. According to the report, de Jong received medical clearance to play and was even asked by Flick to start and complete about 60 minutes, but refused in order not to risk himself ahead of the World Cup. Since then, it was claimed, Flick lost trust in him.
De Jong presented a completely different picture:
"They said I didn't want to play against Atletico; it's an absolute lie. I will always want to play in the big Champions League matches. I don't know how one can say that I refused to play in that match."
The midfielder also addressed the rumors about a crisis in his relationship with Flick:
"They said that Flick doesn't like me. The truth is that I have an excellent relationship with Flick, I talk to him a lot. You can just ask him and see that it is an absolute lie."
De Jong also denied claims that Barcelona punished him following that incident against Atletico and that Flick avoids giving him playing minutes: "It's simply not true. I don't understand where such blatant inventions came from."
The Dutch midfielder also addressed the injury he suffered at the World Cup and defined it as bad luck: "The injury infuriates me; it was bad luck. Another player fell on me, and from there I felt pain in my knee. We conducted tests, and they showed that there is a small problem there." According to him, the medical staff clarified that he would be able to continue playing despite the pain, promising it would not get worse. "So I continued to play, because playing in the World Cup is everyone's dream."
Now de Jong is focused on returning to the pitch and clarifies that even regarding his medical condition, rumors were spread that he claims are not true: "At the moment I am undergoing rehabilitation with the physiotherapists. We have a plan that everyone at the club is aligned on. I say this because rumors and lies are being spread about this too."
Despite the reports surrounding his status, de Jong clarified that he is interested in continuing at Barcelona: "I have been here for seven years, it has always been my dream to play here, and I have more dreams to fulfill with big goals."
